50 THE SERI INDIANS [eth.ann.17 



characterized by extreme developmeut or intensity, uiauy of tbem being 

 of such sort as to be adequately described only by the aid of strong 

 comparatives or superlatives. Serihiud is the most rugged portion of 

 piedmont Sonora, and is bounded by its most forbidding desert; the ter- 

 ritory is nearly if not quite the most arid and inhospitable of the Souorau 

 province; the diurnal and siMU'adic temperature-ranges are apparently 

 the widest, and the gales and other storms apparently the severest of 

 the entire iirovince ; the flora is among the most meager and least fruit- 

 ful, and the mountains are among the craggiest of the continent; the 

 tides are among the strongest and the tidal currents among the swiftest 

 of the world; and, as shown by the limited direct observations and by 

 the extraordinary marine transgression, the waters are among the most 

 turbulent known. At the same time, the waters washing Seriland are 

 among the richest of America in seafood, sothat the habitat is one of 

 the easiest known for a simple life depending directly on the product of 

 the sea. It is but natural that these extreme factors of environment 

 should be measurably reflected in pronounced characteristics on the 

 part of the inhabitants. 



