LIFE AREAS 289 



Lake and east of Mt. Shasta, may be called the Modoc Fauna. 

 It is a high broken plateau with some coniferous timber on the 

 hig-hest parts. A character of this Fauna is the abundant pres- 

 ence of sage brush (Artcmesia). South of the Modoc Fauna is 

 a large area of the Transition Zone in the lower parts of the 

 Sierra Nevada Mountains, which may be called tlie Sierra Ne- 

 vada Fauna. It is mostly well timbered, with Yellow Pine as 

 the principal species. Those areas of the Transition Zone lying 

 south of Lat. 35 degrees may appropriately take the name of the 

 San Bernardino Fauna. Here also the Yellow Pine is a charac- 

 teristic ti-ee. The region about Mt. Shasta, north to Oregon and 

 west to the low strip along the sea coast may provisionally take 

 the name of the Shasta Fauna until its features are better known. 

 I know nothing of this fauna personally, and I can find very lit- 

 tle published concerning its faunal conditions. A narrow strip 

 along the seaco-ast from, the Oregon line south to San Francisco 

 may be called the Humboldt Fauna. This is a region of heavy 

 rainfall and fogs, and a strong character is the presence of heavy 

 redwood forests. A continuance of this narrow strip along the 

 coast southward, including the Santa Cruz Mountains, and end- 

 ing a short distance south of Point Sur, may take the name of the 

 Santa Cruz Fauna. It presents similar characters to that of the 

 Humboldt Fauna, but in a less marked degree. 



The Upper Austral Zone lies next belOw or south of the 

 Transition Zone. In many parts of the Upper Austral Zone a 

 thick growth of several species of shrubs, collectively known as 

 chapparral or chemisal, covers the hills. Forests are few, and 

 west of the Sierras are composed mostly of oaks, which east of 

 the Sierras are replaced by Pinons and Junipers. The Gray- 

 leafed Pine is common in this Zone in some places within the 

 drainage of the San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys. The most 

 characteristic mammals of the Upper Austral Zone are Pocket 

 Rats, twO' genera and several species. Pocket Mice of several 

 species, Californian Grasshopper Mice, Striped Skunk, Gray and 

 Island Foxes. The following species of birds find their upper 



