© Se Se eS 
THE SANTA FE ROUTE. 141 
gather the moisture from an ample area. For most of the year its 
leaves are covered with a resin that acts as a protection against 
_ evaporation and also renders them very unpalatable to animals. 
The popular name is due to the tarry odor given off when the plant 
is burned. On the rocky slopes and less abundantly on the plains 
several species of cactuses will be noted, including the barrel cactus 
or Visnaga (Echinocactus wislizeni lecontei; Pl. XX XVIII), the smaller 
Echinocactus johnsoni, and clusters of the niggerhead cactus (ELchino- 
cactus polycephalus), which bears beautiful deep-red flowers in the 
early summer. All these cactuses are covered with large spines and 
contain considerable water, which is protected from evaporation by 
_ the thick skins of the trunk. The desert rats gnaw into some of them 
and clean out their watery pulp, leaving an empty shell of thorns. 
Travelers often obtain a drink of fair water from the barrel cactus. 
On some of the desert slopes grow the curious candlewood bushes, or 
ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens; Pl. XX XV, B, p. 134), the tips of which 
are brilliant with flame-colored blossoms in the spring. The palo- 
verde (Parkinsonia torreyana), a bush or small tree consisting entirely 
of green spikes, grows in many of the valleys, associated with the 
uha del gato (oon’ya del gah’to), or cat claw (Acacia greggii), a bush 
with myriads of little curved thorns and deliciously fragrant yellow 
blossoms. On some of the sandy soils are many yuccas or soap weeds 
of several species, which in the spring send up slender stalks bearing 
clusters of cream-white flowers. 
The desert animals are small and are not often in sight. The rats, 
which live in large colonies in the sandy areas, are nocturnal, and 
most of their companions have the same habit. Various lizards and 
the bold little horned toad (Phrynosoma platyrhinos) parka abundant, 
and in places the variety of rattlesnake known as ‘‘sidewinder’ 
(Crotalus cerastes) is found. This common name refers to his side- 
long motion both in locomotion and attack. The rare tiger rattler 
(Crotalus tigris) lives in the rocks in many out-of-the-way places. 
The Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum) does not often come as far 
orth as the Santa Fe line, but a few are reported from the Colorado 
bottoms near Needles and even along Virgin River in southern Utah. 
‘The. larger lizard known as the chuckwalla (Sauromalus ater) may 
seen here and there, and the Indians find him as palatable as 
chicken. The tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) roams widely over the 
desert, and his empty shell is a common sight. Most of these tor- 
toises are from 8 to 10 inches long; some are larger. They are gener- 
ally found far from water holes, and it is a marvel that they can 
_ ©Xst with so little water. 
97579°—Bull. 613—15——10 
