The Audubon Societies 



55 



divide and Mexican plateau region in New Mexico, and the north and eastern 

 parts of Arizona, show an almost equally great diversity as the middle warm 

 temperate zone. Along the southeastern Atlantic coast and Gulf States, the 

 fertile stretches of the Louisianian fauna offer rich opportunities to the rice 

 and cotton planters and the fruit-grower, while humid conditions extend well 

 to the middle of Texas, giving way to arid lands in western Texas and to Caro- 

 linian, Alleghanian, and even Boreal faunal areas, crossing the plateau district 

 and mountains, until in southwestern Arizona the great desert area of the 

 United States is reached. It is a wonderful zone to travel through, from the 

 rice-fields and cotton belt of the East, the extensive grazing lands of Texas, and 

 the high altitudes of the divide, to the parched desert, and the orchards of olives, 

 dates, figs, and lemons of the more fertile sections of the Lower Sonoran area. 



South of this entire belt, occur little strips and patches of tropical fauna, 

 first, in the Antilles and the southern tip of Florida, where the humidity makes 

 a true tropical environment; second, along the extreme southeastern coast 

 line of Texas; and, third, in the southern part of Lower California and the 

 eastern coast-line of the Gulf of California; and, also, in a narrow arm extend- 

 ing up the valley of the lower Colorado River. These three areas are repre- 

 sented respectively, first, by the tropical Floridian fauna; second, by the semi- 

 tropical Tamaulipan fauna, and, third by the St. Lucas fauna, which is also 

 semitropical for the most part. 



Coming to Mexico, we find that only its eastern and western coast-lines 

 are in the tropical belt as far south as latitude i8°, below which, and including 

 the boot of land known as Yucatan and all of Central America, tropical con- 

 ditions prevail. Over- the extensive Mexican plateau district, we find not only 

 the Lower and Upper Sonoran faunas but also the Alleghanian and Boreal, 

 which is due to the high altitude of this section. 



And now let us see what characteristic forms of life are found in this won- 

 derful land of plenty and paucity, and compare them with the more northern 

 forms noted in the preceding exercise. 



Table of Middle and Southern Warm Temperate Faunal Areas 



Crops and 

 Fruits 



Middle 



Southern 



(Figures denote 

 number of kinds) 



Carolinian 



Upper Sonoran 



Louisianian 



Lower Sonoran 





Sassafras 

 Tulip tree 

 Hackberry 

 Sycamore 

 Sweet gum 

 Rose Magnolia 

 Redbud 



Sagebrush 



Greasewoods 



Pifion 



Juniper 



Burrowing Owl 



Brewer's Sparrow 



Nevada Sage Spar- 



Long-leaf Pine 

 Loblolly Pine 

 Magnolia 

 Live Oak 

 Bald Cypress 

 Tupelo 

 Cane 



Creosote Bush 



Mesquites 



Acacias 



Cactuses 



Yuccas 



Agaves 



Mockingbird 





Persimmon 

 Short-leaf Pine 

 Opossum 



Lazuli Finch 

 Sage Thrasher 

 Nuttall's Poor-will 



Mockingbird 

 Painted Bunting 

 Prothonotary Warb- 



Road Runner 

 Cactus Wren 

 Cannon Wren 





Gray Fox 

 Fox Squirrel 



Bullock's Oriole 



Rough-winged Swal- 

 low 



Red-cockaded 



Woodpecker 

 Chuck-will's- Widow 



Desert Thrasher 

 Hooded Oriole 



