34 
THE CONDOR 
I VOL. V 
the burrows. As the young animals were nearly grown and each burrow con- 
tained from six to eight individuals, the Indians must have received a generous 
supply of meat. After night-fall our journey was less wearisome, the rain had 
ceased, the treacherous washes were less frequent or formidable, the unruly horse 
had settled down to an even pace, and we rode along with comparative comfort. 
From time to time the shadow}" form of a passing Indian, or the dim outlines of 
the hogans showed that we were among the Navajos and gradually approaching 
our destination. 
Keam Canyon lies within the Moki Reservation, eighty miles north of Hol- 
brook and about one hundred miles northeast of the San Francisco mountains, the 
highest peak of which is plainly visible from the bluff shown in the accompanying 
plate. The Moki name of this mountain is Ne-vat-i-kiobi, which means the house 
of the snow. At the trading post of Mr. T. V. Keam, in the vicinity of which 
most of the observations in the present paper were made, the trend of the canyon 
is towards the northwest, but a few miles lower down it turns to the west and 
broadens into a more extensive valley. Thirteen miles from this post is the Mesa, 
on which the Moki pueblos of Tewa, Sichumovi, and Wolpi are situated. The 
portion of the valley which interests us is from 400 to 800 yards in width and is 
depressed one hundred feet or more below the surface of the surrounding mesa. 
The side walls are picturesque and present an endless variety of forms, from clear 
cut perpendicular cliffs to masses of giant boulders interspersed with a more or 
less luxuriant growth of pinyon and juniper. Erosive action has left its mark in 
the softer material, and produced caves of varying size which furnish homes for 
some of the birds and mammals ol the region. Out-croppings of coal are quite 
numerous, and heaps of ash, together with bits of pottery, show where the abor- 
igines utilized this fuel in the preparation of their wares. 
The canyon is well known to many anthropologists and others who are inter- 
ested in the ritual customs of the Moki, and who have traversed the long stretches 
of desert between the little town of Holbrook and the cliff dwellings on the First 
Mesa to witness the celebrated snake dance and other Tusayan ceremonies. Mr. 
Keam’s genial hospitality towards the many strangers who have visited this far- 
off land is proverbial and has earned for him a wide reputation. 
Anyone unacquainted with the conditions of bird life in the arid regions 
would be disappointed with the small number of species found at Keam Canyon, 
and would be surprised at the meagre representation of most of them. Although 
considerable time between July 18 and August 3 was devoted to exploring the 
canyon and surrounding mesa for the purpose of observing birds, only thirty-nine 
species were found, and of these seven were included on single records. The doves 
{Ze7iaidura macronra) were fairly common throughout the canyon, and considerable 
numbers visited the little rivulet that flowed from a covered spring in a side can- 
yon back of the house, where they bathed and drank at all times of day from sun- 
rise until long after dark. Turkey vultures {Cathartes aura) were almost always 
present, and about fifty roosted in a clump of dead pinyons below the northwest 
rim of the canyon within plain view of the house. Among the birds of prey the 
little sparrow hawks {Fa/co sparverius deseriicolus) were the commonest, and were 
often seen hunting for lizards and insects, or flying about their nesting places in 
the crevices and erosions of the canyon walls. One prairie falcon {Falco mexicaiius) 
was seen on July 18, and a week later a fine adult duck hawk {Falco peregriuus 
a^iatuni) flew close to the house toward evening and disappeared along the edge of 
the cliffs beyond. Although no golden eagles {Aquila) were seen at large, as 
many as a dozen were counted at the Moki pueblos, where they are used in con- 
