310 OUR FEDERAL LANDS 



1890, elaborately mapped in colors, which began as 

 follows : 



"Recent explorations in the West conducted by 

 the Division of Ornithology and Mammalogy of this 

 Department led to the belief that many facts of 

 scientific interest and economic importance would be 

 brought to light by a biological survey of a region 

 comprehending a diversity of physical and climatic 

 conditions, particularly if a high mountain were 

 selected, where, as is well known, different climates 

 and zones of animal and vegetable life succeed one 

 another from base to summit. 



"The matter was laid before the Assistant Sec- 

 retary of Agriculture, the Honorable Edwin Willits, 

 and I was authorized by the Secretary, the Honora- 

 ble J. M. Rusk, to undertake such a survey of the 

 San Francisco Mountain region of Arizona. San 

 Francisco Mountain was chosen because of its south- 

 ern position, isolation, great altitude, and proximity 

 to an arid desert. The area carefully surveyed com- 

 prises about 13,000 square kilometres (5,000 square 

 miles) and enough additional territory to make in 

 all about 30,000 square kilometres (nearly 12,000 

 square miles) of which a biological map has been 

 prepared. 



"No less than twenty new species and sub- 

 species of mammals were discovered, together with 

 many new reptiles and plants; and the study of the 

 fauna and flora as a whole led to unexpected gen- 

 eralizations concerning the relationship of the life 



