May 17, 1902. j 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
Baboons in Cape Colony. 
The baboons are a source of great trouble and loss to 
the farmers in the more mountainous parts of Cape 
Colony. These pests lay the lands under contribution 
for their support, and the sheep -and goats under con- 
tribution for their pleasure. It is a favorite amusement 
for a group of baboons to surround an unfortunate sheep 
or goat and literally tear the popr animal to pieces. So 
the farmer takes his revenge by hunting the animals 
down, and, for a time, at least, ridding his farm of their 
presence. 
When a baboon hunt is on the tapis all the neighbors 
lend a hand. These hunts are invariably carried out in 
the early morning. About midnight on the eve of the 
appointed day all the neighbors arrive at the rendezvous, 
each bringing one or two natives with him to act as bear- 
ers, and help generally in any way that may be neces- 
sary. The hill where the baboons congregate is sur- 
rounded, and the natives stationed at different points all 
round it. As the parties climb slowly and laboriously 
up the sides of the incline the harsh bark of the sentinel 
can be heard, and the rest of the quarry, taking warn- 
ing, hurry to stow themselves away in their accustomed 
nooks and crannies. Then the hunters wait, with what 
patience they can muster, until the first streaks of dawn 
appear in the heavens. As soon, as this occurs one or 
two baboons come out to reconnoiter. "Crack" go the 
guns, and these have met their doom. The report of the 
firearms alarms the others, and they rush out to make 
their escape, but they are hemmed in. From every side 
the guns speak, and "baboon after baboon pays toll to the 
farmers' vengeance. One or two may escape, but the 
number of those who do succeed in getting away is very 
trifling. Then the hunters collect their spoil. The tails 
are cut off and given to the natives as payment for their 
help, who take them into the nearest magistracy and 
receive 3s. apiece for them, the reward offered by the 
Government. After which the hunters return fully pre- 
pared to do justice to a substantial breakfast at their 
host's farm. 
There is a lack of sport about baboon hunting which 
prevents it appealing to the average Englishman, but 
the farmers do not look on the matter in this light at all. 
It is stern necessity that compels them to act in this 
way. The baboon is very human in some respects. If 
an animal is wounded it places its "hands" over the 
wound and tries to staunch the flow of blood. Seen in 
the early morning, when the mist is just clearing off the 
mountain, an "old man" baboon looks, at a short dis- 
tance, exactly like an old man, and their piercing shrieks 
as the bullets strike them all help to give the hunt the 
appearance of a human battue. Those that are_ wounded 
on" these occasions are dispatched by the natives, who 
bring their assegais with them for the purpose. The only 
element of danger in one of these hunts is that in their 
excitement some of the younger members of the party are 
liable to move from their proper positions. If they do 
this they stand a great chance of receiving a bullet, and 
many accidents have occurred from this lack of caution. 
Sometimes the baboons become sufficiently bold as to 
visit the farm in the day time. This occurred on one oc- 
casion at a farm where I was staying in the Sneeuberg 
district. The animal entered into one of the outhouses. 
One of the boys had noticed the baboon go into the 
building, and hastened up and made fast the door. Then 
he informed us of what he had done. The owner of this^ 
farm possessed a very fierce mastiff. "We'll have some" 
sport," he said, "we'll put Nero in the house with the 
'old man.' " The dog was sent for, and we went to the 
outhouse and opened the door and let it in. The uproar 
inside for the next few minutes was something alarming. 
Then it died away. "Nero's finished him off," said our 
host, "let's go in." So we opened wide the door and 
walked in. As the last of us walked in the baboon sprang 
up from the corner, where it had evidently gone on hear- 
ing our approach, and darted through the open door and 
away. In the opposite corner was poor Nero, stretched 
out, a mass of bleeding wounds, groaning piteously. It 
was a revelation to all of us of the fighting qualities of 
the "old man" baboon. After this it was easy for us to 
understand how these animals, with a couple of strokes, 
can literally tear all the flesh away from the breast of a 
sheep. — London Field. 
MtA %tltU 
— 
Proprietors of shooting resorts will find it profitable to advertise 
them in Fokist and Stmah, 
Forest Reserves as Game Preserves. 
The Black Mesa Forest Reserve of Arizona and its 
Availability as a Game Preserve. 
BY E. W. NELSON. 
The Black Mesa Forest Reserve lies in central-eastern 
Arizona and contains 1,658,880 acres, is about 180 miles 
long in a northwesterly and southeasterly direction and a 
direct continuation southeasterly from the San Francisco 
Mountain Forest Reserve. On the north it contains a 
part of the Mogollon Mesa, which is covered with a mag- 
nificent open forest of Arizona yellow pine {Firms pon- 
dcrosa), in which there is an abundance of bunch grass 
and here and there are beautiful grassy parks. To the 
southeast the reserve covers a large part of the White 
Mountains, one of the largest areas of generally high ele- 
vation in Arizona. The yellow pine forest, similar in 
character to that on the Mogollon Mesa, is found over a 
large part of the reserve between 7,000 and 8,500 feet alti- 
tude, and its general character is shown in the accom- 
panying view. 
The irregularity in outline of the Black Mesa Reserve 
is shown in detail on the map. There is a large compact 
area at each end joined by a long narrow strip, very irre- 
gular in outline and less than a township broad at various 
points. It lies along the southern border of the Great 
Colorado Plateau and covers the southern and western 
borders of the basin of the Little Colorado River. Taken 
as a whole, this reserve includes some of the wildest and 
most attractive mountain scenery in the West. 
Owing to the wide separation of the two main areas of 
the reserve, and certain differences in physical character, 
they will be described separately, beginning with the 
northwestern and middle areas whrch are similar in 
character. 
The Nonhwtstein Section of the Black Mesa Reserve. 
With the exception of an area in the extreme western 
part, which drains into the Rio Verde, practically all of 
this portion of the reserve lies along the upper border of 
the basin of the Little Colorado. It is a continuation of 
the general easy slope which begins about 5,000 feet on 
the river and extends back so gradually at first that it is 
frequently almost imperceptible, but by degrees becomes 
more rolling and steeper until the summit is reached at an 
altitude of from 6.000 to 9.000 feet. The reserve occupies 
the upper portion of this slope which has more the form 
of a mountainous plateau country, scored by deep and 
rugged canons, than of- a typical mountain range. From 
the summit of this elevated divide, with the exception of 
the district draining into the Rio Verde, the southern and 
western slope drops away abruptly several thousand feet 
into Tonto Creek Basin. The top of the huge escarp- 
ment thus formed faces south and west, and is known as 
the rim of Tonto Basin, or. locally, "The Rim," From the 
summit of this gigantic rocky declivity is obtained an in- 
spiring view of the south, where range after rarfige of 
mountains lie spread out to the distant horizon. 
The rolling plateau country sloping toward the Little 
Colorado is heavily scored with deep box canons often 
hundreds of feet deep and frequently inaccessible for long 
distances. Most of the permanent surface water is found 
in these canons, and the general drainage is through them 
down to the lower plains bordering th& river. The greater 
part of this portion of the reserve is covered with yel- 
low pine forests below which is a belt varying greatly in 
width, of pinyons, cedars and junipers, interspersed with 
a more or less abundant growth of gramma grass. This 
belt of scrubby conifers contains many open grassy areas, 
and nearer the river gives way to continuous broad grassy 
plains. Nowhere in this district, either among the yel- 
low pines or in the lower country, is there much surface 
water; and a large share of the best watering places are 
occupied by sheep owners. 
The wild and rugged slopes of Tonto Basin, with tfieir 
southerly exposure, have a more arid character than; the 
area just described. On these slopes yellow pines soon 
give way to pinyons, cedars and junipers, and many 
scrubby oaks, and various spee'es of hardy bushes. The 
watering places are scarce until the bottom of the basin 
is approached. Tonto Basin and its slopes are also occu- 
pied by numerous sheep herds, especially in winter. 
There are several small settlements of fanners, sheep 
and cattle growers within the limits of the narrow strip 
connecting the larger parts of the reserve, notably Show 
Low, Pinetop and Linden. The wagon road from Hol- 
brook, on the Santa Fe Pacific Railroad, to the military 
post at Camp Apache, on the White Moumtain Indian 
Reservation, passes through this strip by way of Show 
Low. The old trails through Sunset Pass to Camp Verde 
and across "The Rim" into Tonto Basin traverse the 
northern part of the reserve, and are used by stockmen 
and others at short intervals, except in the middle of 
winter. 
The climate of this section of the reserve is rather 
arid in summer, the rainfall being much more uncertain 
than in the more elevated areas, about the San Francisco 
Mountains to the northwest and the White Mountains to 
the southeast. The summers are usually hot and dry, 
the temperature being modified, however, by the altitude. 
Rains sometimes occur during July and August, but are 
more common in the autumn when they are often fol- 
lowed by abundant snowfall. During some seasons *iow 
falls to a depth of three or more feet on a level in the 
yellow pine forests and remains until spring. During 
other seasons, however, the snowfall is insignificant and 
much of the ground remains bare during the winter, 
especially on southern exposures. As a matter of course 
the lower slope of the pinyon belt and the grassy plains 
of the Little Colorado, both of which lie outside of the 
reserve, have less and less snow, according to the altitude, 
and it never remains for any very considerable time. On 
the southerly exposure facing Tonto Basin the snow is 
still less permanent. The winter in the yellow pine belt 
extends from November to April. 
Large Game to the Northern Part of the Black Mesa ' 
Reserve. 
Black-tailed deer, antelope, black and silver tippea 
bears and mountain lions are the large game animals 
which frequent the yellow pine forests in summer. Wild 
turkeys are also common. 
The black-tailed deer are still common and generally 
distributed. In winter the heavy snow drives them to a 
lower range in the pinyon belt toward the Little Colorado 
and also down the slope of Tonto Basin, both of these 
areas lying outside the reserve. The Arizona white-tailed 
deer is resident throughout the year' in comparatively 
small numbers on the brushy slopes of Tonto Basin, and 
sometimes strays up in summer into the border of the 
pine forest. Antelope were once plentiful on the plains 
of the Little Colorado and in summer ranged through the 
open yellow pine forest now included in the reserve. 
They still occur, in very limited nmubers, in this forest 
during the summer, and at the first snowfall descend to 
the lower border of the pinyon belt and adjacent grassy 
plains. Both species of bears occur throughout the pine 
forests in summer, often following sheep herds. As win- 
ter approaches and the sheep are moved out of the higher 
ranges, many of the bears go over "The Rim" to the 
slopes of Tonto Basin, where they find acorns, juniper 
berries and other food until cold weather causes them 
to hibernate. The mountain lions are always most numer- 
ous on the rugged slopes of Tonto Basin, especially dur- 
ing winter, when sheep and game have left the elevated 
forest. 
From the foregoing notes it is apparent that the north- 
western and middle portions of the Black Mesa Reserve 
are without proper winter range for game within its 
limits, and that the conditions are otherwise unfavor- 
able for their use as game preserves. 
The Southeastern Section of the Black Mesa Rejerve. 
The southeastern portion of the reserve remains to ba 
cousfdered. The map shows this to be a rectangular area 
about thirty by fifty miles in extent, lying between the 
White Mountain Indian Reservation and the western bor- 
der of New Mexico, and covering the adjacent parts 
of Apache and Graham counties. It includes the eastern 
part of the White Mountains, which culminate in Ord and 
Thomas peaks, rising,. respectively to 10,266 feet and to 
11,496 feet, on the White Mountain Indian Reservation 
just off the western border of the Forest Reserve. This 
section of the reserve is strikingly more varied in. physical 
conditions than the northern portion, as will be shown by 
the following description: 
The _ northwestern part of this section, next to the 
peaks just mentioned, is an elevated mountainous plateau 
country forming the watershed between the extreme 
headwaters of the Little Colorado on the north and the 
Black and San Francisco rivers, tributaries of the Gila, 
on the south. The divide between the heads of these 
streams is so low that in the midst of the undulating 
country where they rise it is often difficult to determine 
at first sight to which drainage some of the small tribu- 
taries belong. This district is largely of volcanic forma- 
tion and beds of lava cover large tracts, usually overlaid 
with soil on which the forest flourishes. 
The entire northern side of this section is bordered by 
the sloping grassy plains of the Little Colorado, which 
at their upper border have an elevation of 6,500 to 7,500 
feet, and are covered here and there with pmyons, cedars 
and junipers, especially along the sides of the canons and 
similar slopes. At the upper border of this belt the gen- 
eral slope becomes abruptly mountainous and rises to 
8,000 or 8,500 feet to a broad bench-like summit, from 
which extends back the elevated plateau country already 
mentioned. This outer slope of the plateau is covered 
with a fine belt of yellow pine forests, similar in charac- 
ter to that found in the northern part of the reserve. Ow- 
ing to the more abrupt character of the northerly slope 
of iliis belt, and its greater humidity, the forest is more 
varied by firs and aspens, especially along the canons, 
than is the case further north. Here and there along 
the upper tributaries of the Little Colorado, small valleys 
open out which are frequently wooded and contain beau- 
tiful mountain parks. 
The summit of the elevated plateau country about the 
headwaters of the Little Colorado and Black rivers 
(which is known locally as the "Big Mesa"), is an ex- 
tended area of rolling grassy plain entirely surrounded try 
forests and varied irregularly by wooded ridges and 
points of timber. This open plain extends in a long 
sweep from a point a few miles south of Springerville 
westward for about fifteen miles along the top of the 
divide to the bases of Ord and Thomas peaks. These ele- 
vated plains are separated from those of the Little Colo- 
rado to the north by the belt of forests already described 
as covering the abrupt northern wall of the plateau. On 
th> other sides of the "Big Mesa" an unbroken forest 
extends away over the undulating mountainous country 
as far as the eye can reach. The northerly slopes of the 
higher elevations in this section are covered with spruce 
fore6t. 
The most varied and beautiful part of the entire Black 
Mesa Reserve lies in the country extending southeasterly 
from Ord and Thomas peaks and immediately south of 
the "Big Mesa."_ This is the extreme upper part of the 
basin of Black River, which is formed by numerous little 
streams rising from springs and wet meadows at an ele- 
vation of from 8,500 to 9,500 feet. The little meadows 
form attractive grassy openings in the forest covered in 
summer with a multitude of wild flowers and surrounded 
by the varied foliage of different trees and shrubs. The 
little streams flow down gently sloping courses, whic-h 
gradually deepen to form shallow side canons leading 
into the main river. Black River is a clear, sparkling 
trout stream at the bottom of a deep, rugged box canon, 
cut through a lava bed and forming a series of wildly pic- 
turesque views. The sides of Black River Canon and its 
small tributaries are well forested. On the cool northerly 
slope the forest is made up of a heavy growth of pines, 
firs, aspens and alder bushes, which give way on the 
southerly slope, where the full force of the sun is felt, 
to a thin growth of pines, grass and a little underbrush. 
At the head of Black River, between 8,000 and 9,000 
feet, there are many nearly level or gently sloping areas, 
sometimes of considerable extent. These are covered 
with open yellow pine forests with many white barked 
aspens scattered here and there, and an abundance of 
grasses and low bushes. This was once a favorite sum- 
mer country for elk. and I have seen there many bushes 
and small saplings which had been twisted and barked by 
bull elk while rubbing the velvet from their horns. 
Immediately south and east of Black River lies the 
Prieto Plateau, a well wooded mountain mass rising 
steeply from Black River Canon to a broad summit about 
9,000 feet in altitude. The northerly slopes of this plateau, 
facing the river, are heavily forested with pines, firs, 
aspens and brushy undergrowth, and are good elk coun- 
try. The summit is cold and damp, with areas of spruce 
thickets and attractive wet meadows scattered here and 
there. Beyond the summit of the plateau to the south and 
east of the country descends abruptly several thousand 
feet, in a series of rocky declivities and sharp spur-like 
ridges, to the canon of Blue River, a tributary of the San 
Francisco River. This slope, near the summit, is over- 
grown with firs, aspens and pines, which give way, as the 
descent is made, to pinyons, cedar and scrubby oak trees 
and a more or less abundant growth of chaparral. Small 
streams and -springs are found in the larger canons on 
this slope, while far below at an altitude of about 5,000 
feet lies Blue River. 
The country at the extreme head of Blue River forms 
a great mountain amphitheater, with one side so near the 
upper course of Black River that one can traverse the 
distance between the basins of the two streams in a 
short ride. The descent into the drainage of Blue River 
is very abrupt and is known locally as the "Breaks" of 
Blue River. The scenery of these Breaks nearly, if not 
quite, equals that on "The -Rim" of Tonto Basin in its 
wild magnificence. The vegetation on the "Breaks" shows 
at a glance the milder character of the climate, as com- 
pared with that of the more elevated area about the head 
