December 8, 1S93 ] 



SCIENCE, 



315 



tent of fourth belt. (Perhaps P. ponderosa as well). 



14. Jimson weed (Stramonium sp.) — Fourth belt. 



'15. Mountain mahog-any (Cercocarpus parvifolius). — 

 Fourth and fifth belts. 



16. Oak (Quercus undulata var. gambellii). — Fifth 

 belt, below but near top of ridge. 



17. Thornless chaparral (Fallugiaparadoxa). — At top 

 of ridge, fifth belt, forming a thick chaparral on north 

 slope. 



It should be mentioned, as a possible explanation of 

 the higher altitude at. which the scrub oak, hackberry, 

 etc., were found on this slope than on the western slope, 

 that in the ascent the course of a stream was followed 

 about to the third belt. 



Notes on the fauna of the Organ Mountains. — Mam- 

 malian fauna: The range contains a wide and varied 

 extent of country, particularly between its northern 

 widened portion and Soledad cafion. Of the larger 

 mammals, there were formerly, as reported by hunters, 

 elk, mountain goat, mountain sheep, and bear. These 

 are not known to exist there at present, but Mr. G. R. 

 Beasley, of Soledad canon, is reported to have killed a 

 full-grown male mountain sheep two years ago in the 

 Organs. There are said to be some bears at the pres- 

 ent time in the more inaccessible portions of the range, 

 but this is not positively known. 



There are known to exist at the present time: Deer 

 (probably the black-tailed, Cariacus macrotis) ; moun- 

 tain lion (Felis concolor); wild cats (Lynx sp.); red and 

 silver foxes (Vulpes spp.) ; skunks (Mephitis sp.) ; squir- 

 rels (Sciurus sp. ) ; chipmunks (Tamias gracilis and other 

 spp.); weasels (Putorius sp.) ; civet cats (Bassaris sp.); 

 and raccoons (Procyon sp.). Bats and mice also occur. 

 Antelope, rabbits, badgers, prairie dogs, coyotes, are 

 found at the base or in the lower portions. 



Avian fauna: Calif ornian quail, tonto quail (Ortyx 

 spp.), eagles, hawks, buzzards, owls, jays, woodpeckers, 

 doves, mocking birds, orioles, whippoorwills, wrens, 

 swallows, humming birds, and others have been noted 

 in the range. Unfortunatel}^ specimens were not col- 

 lected, so that no specific determinations can be given. 

 Wild turkey are said to occur, but I have seen none. 

 They were common in the range formerly. 



Reptilian fauna: Rattlesnakes (Crotalus sp.), sev- 

 eral species of harmless snakes, and several species of 

 small lizards have been observed. The rattlers are 

 more frequent on the plains at the base of the range. 

 Frogs are also said to occur. 



Fish fauna: There are no fishes that I know of, as 

 the mountain streams are small and swift, and often 

 dry, for a long season. In the Sacramento and White 

 Mountains, about sixty to eighty miles north and north- 

 east, there is fine trout fishing in the streams. 



Insect fauna: Many species of insects abound, a 

 large number being peculiar to the range in this regum, 

 i. e. , not found on the mesa and in the valley to the 

 westward. These, in most cases, feed on such plants 

 and trees as are likewise peculiar to the range. The 

 following are those species which feed on some of the 

 principal plants, so far as I have observed them, ar- 

 ranged under the heads of the plants: 

 Sotol (Dasylirion wheeleri). 



1. Thrincopyge alacris — larvcc bore flower stalks. 



2. Hesperob'a;nus n. .sp. — adults eat newly forming- 

 flowers. 



3. Thrincopyge ambiens — larvae bore flower stalks. 



4. AcmfEociera culta — larva; bore in flower stalks. 



5. Moth — larv.ne bore flower stalks. 



6. Lecanodiaspis yuccas — scale on leaves. Also on 

 Yucca baccata. 



7. Small weevil — bores in flower stalks. 



Scrub oak (Quercus undulata var. wrightii.) 



1. Andricus sp. ? — makes a woolly, reddish gall on 

 leaves. 



2. Another gall-fl)' — makes a fleshy leaf gall. 



3. Synergus sp. and Decatoma sp.— the first makes a 

 large apple-like and very hard woody gall on twigs, in 

 which the second is apparently an inquiline. 



4. Geometrid moth — larva feeds on foliage. 



5. Several species of Lepidoptera — larvae feed on 

 foliage. 



Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis). 



1. Pachypsylla venusta — forms a leaf-stalk or petiole 

 gall. 



2. Pachypsylla celtidis-pubescens— forms a small cir- 

 cular gall on leaves. 



3. Cecidomyiid — makes small round gall on leaf- 

 stems. 



Many carnivorous bugs and beetles abound in the 

 range. Butterflies are more numerous than in the val- 

 ley. There are bees, wasps and ants; dragon flies, 

 many locusts, larvas of gnats in the streams, including- 

 bufl:alo gnats (Simulium occidentale) ; and flies of many 

 families, especially those of parasitic and creophilous or 

 coprophagous habits. A single specimen of a peculiar 

 large blister beetle (Megetra vittata) has been found in 

 the mountains and nowhere else in this immediate 

 region, but many were found higher up in western New 

 Mexico. Tarantulas (Lycosa sp.), centipedes (Scolo- 

 pendra), vifiagrones or whip-scorpions (Thelyphonus), 

 and true scorpions also occur. 



MoUuscan fauna: Quite a number of specimens of a 

 snail have been found in several paits of the mountains 

 about half way up the range. Prof. T. D. A. Cocker- 

 ell, to whom I gave some of the shells for determina- 

 tion, writes me that they are undoubtedly a variety of 

 Patula strigosa Gould. 



In conclusion, it should be stated that the determina- 

 tions of the plants mentioned in this paper were made 

 largely by the Botanical Division of the U. S. Dept. of 

 Agriculture, and by Mr. Walter H. Evans, now of that 

 Department also. A few were made by Prof. E. O. 

 Wooton, botanist of the N. Mex. Agr. College. 



POTTERY ON PUGET SOUND. 



BY JAMES WICKERSHAM, TACOMA, WASHINGTON. 



That the reader may not be misled by the above 

 headline, I hasten to say that there never was any 

 aboriginal pottery made either on the Columbia River, 

 Puget Sound or in the regions northward to Alaska! 

 Baskets of such strength, firmness and texture were 

 made, however, that the absence of pottery was not a 

 hardship upon the Indians, for they carried water in 

 baskets, and even boiled food in them by the use of hot 

 rocks con.stantly dropped in the water. But what lesson, 

 if any, can the ethnologist learn from the absence of 

 potter}' on this northwest coast? 



Let us first look at the character of the civilization 

 existing here prior to the advent of the white man and 

 compare it with that of other localities — say San Fran- 

 cisco Bay, but a few hundred miles farther south on the 

 same shore. The Indians of Oregon, Washington, 

 British Columbia and Alaska made and constantlv used 

 the finest canoes in the world, capable of holding fifty 

 or sixty men. They fearlessly pursued the whale on the 

 Pacific Ocean, far out of sight of land; and fastening 

 their harpoons to the monster by the vse of inflated 

 bladders, they caused him to float; and after his 

 death he was towed by a line of great canoes 

 to the shore; where, landing the huge carcass 



