mospheric moisture that is not obtainable 

 necessary in feather coloring? Some of 

 the plants here are sufficient unto them- 

 selves, brewing their own sustenance as 

 it were, as I have seen the Bisnaga, 

 sometimes called "Well of the Desert" in 

 which a deep hole had been cut, produce 

 in a short time at least a cup full of wat- 

 ery liquid, which is very invigorating to 

 the thirsty traveler, and growing, too, in 

 a sand as dry as powder, there not having 

 ben a drop of rain near it in months, if 

 not years, and dew an unknown quantity. 

 This liquor seems necessary for the full 

 fruition of the rich, yellow flower, so 

 carefully guarded by immense fish-hook 

 spines or barbs that is such efficient pro- 

 tection to this species of cacti. As ef- 

 fectual is this protection as is the veno- 

 mous reputation of that much maligned 

 saurian, the Gila monster (Heloderma 

 suspectum), which is not one-half so bad 

 as his looks would imply, but he is for- 

 midable in appearance when he puffs 

 forth his breath like a miniature steam 

 engine and at the same time emits a 

 greenish saliva from his mouth, which is 

 to say the least a forbidding perform- 

 ance, but I really believe him to be com- 

 paratively harmless, for after consider- 

 able acquaintance with his habits, I have 

 only learned of one person being bitten 

 by this reptile, and that was a man who 

 was drunk and insisted upon tickling 

 the Gila monster on the mouth and was 

 bitten for his pains. The reptile had to 

 be killed before its teeth could be un- 

 locked. As an antidote an attempt was 

 made to fill the man with whisky, but as 

 he was already full but little could be 

 accomplished in that line ; when he got 

 sober he was all right save that his hand 

 was somewhat paralyzed. 



There is a marked gregariousness 

 among the song birds of Arizona or else 

 the present abundance of all species gives 

 one that impression, for the numbers are 

 almost countless, though human depre- 

 dators are fast depopulating the song- 

 sters for the sake of their own pleasure 

 or bird plumage for profit. While women 

 anathematize men for their inordinate de- 

 sire to kill something, they take an equi- 

 vocal stand as critics, yet wearing a hat 

 adorned with one or more dead bodies of 

 birds. It is truly the old question of 

 mote and beam re-enacted. 



I do not remember of meeting with but 

 one bird which I have been entirely un- 

 able to classify or even learn its common 

 name if it has one. It darts in and out 

 of a thorn bush after the manner of a 

 thresher or cat bird, and about equals 

 them in size; is of a dull canary yellow 

 in color save for a rich red cap slightly 

 tufted and worn jauntily on top of his 

 head. I have never heard any note from 

 him save a startled chip, and have been 

 unable to learn anything about him from 

 the various bird histories. 



Dr. Abbott has remarked on the lack 

 of vocal powers among the birds of Ari- 

 zona, and says : 



"I listened hour after hour to these 

 cheerful birds, fancying there was mel- 

 ody in their attempts at song, and won- 

 dering why, when their lines had been 

 cast in such forbidding places, the gift of 

 sweet song had not been vouchsafed 

 them. Does the extremely dry atmos- 

 phere have to do with it? Not a sound 

 that I heard had that fulness of tone 

 common to the allied utterances at home. 

 At the limit of my longest stroll I heard 

 a mountain mocking bird, as it is mis- 

 named in the books, and his was a dis- 

 appointed song. It was the twanging of 

 a harp of a single string, and that a loose 

 one." 



This absence of note richness is a 

 feature that I have not observed, and 

 never have I heard a more musical chorus 

 from 1 bird throats as one after another of 

 the many sorts and conditions awoke at 

 sunrise. Many a time have I listened 

 while camping on a lone mountain- 

 top, where our only canopy was the pine 

 fretted blue heavens, and heard the rich 

 burst of song in which not a note lacked 

 flavor; mocking birds, thrushes, orioles, 

 wrens, finches, vireos, grosbeaks, robins 

 (and their distinguishable note is likely 

 to make one homesick) thrashers, blue 

 birds, tanagers, etc., all filling in the 

 score, as each was awakened and filled in 

 the line of song, to say nothing of whip- 

 poor-wills, owls and other night singers 

 who have had "their day." I feel sure if 

 Dr. Abbott had given a little more time 

 to the study of bird song in this territory 

 he would have had no cause to complain 

 of or discredit the vocal powers of these 

 western songsters. 



Alberta A: Field. 



128 



