64 



hunting by starlight and moonhght, and were off towards the 

 east just as the first faint streak of orange hned the crest of 

 the Pintos. The sun rose red and sparkled on the heights of 

 San Pedro Martir, and for a brief while the desert was hke a 

 garden of cool sweet odors. The perfume came mostly from 

 the lavender antelope-weed (Ahronia), but was mingled with 

 the delicate scent of a small white primrose, a tall desert 

 ''Easter lily," and a score of other flowers, j^ellow, white, 

 red, and purple. Mockingbirds were singing their best from 

 every mesquite; a pair of croaking ravens circled over us; 

 various lizards, just warming into activity, scuttled hither 

 and thither. I picked up two lizards which had become torpid 

 during the chill night and wxre lying as if dead. Both were 

 desert-colored and granular above, but on either side of their 

 bellies were stripes of a brilliant hue. The larger lizard (f/ma 

 notata) had round black spots followed by streaks of red. 

 In the smaller species ( Uta graciosa) the stripes were longer and 

 of a bright blue color. The significance of such patches on 

 the bellies of lizards has not been discovered, but they are 

 known to vary w^ith species, sex, age, season, and the tempera- 

 ture or light conditions of the immediate surroundings. 



We spread out abreast a couple of hundred yards apart, 

 keeping a sharp lookout ahead. The country was fairly open 

 — with ironwood and mesquite along the washes, and groves 

 of creosote bush stretching down towards the basin. In 

 most places we could see around us for three or four hundred 

 yards, sometimes even farther. Walking was difficult, owing 

 to the fields of volcanic pebbles on the mesa, and the soft sand 

 in the arroyos. The heart-shaped tracks of antelopes were 

 visible everywhere, but were mostly old. Finally we came 

 upon the track of a single buck which had apparenth^ passed 

 within a short time, and a few minutes later I spied the animal 

 some distance in advance. I had scarcely time to crouch, 

 before it started off on a lope, and, after we had trailed it 

 about two miles, we gave it up. 



Antelopes begin to feed early in the morning, and cover 

 the ground rapidly while they graze; but before the sun is 

 high they almost invariably lie down to rest. If a band is 



