52 
TRANSACTIONS OF THE TEXAS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 
The Sacramento Mountains are situated in northeastern Doha Ana 
and western Lincoln counties. White Mountain, the highest point, 
is 11,092 feet, as given on military maps. Lieutenant V. E. Stottler, 
U. S. A., who has charge of the Mescalero Apache Indian reservation 
occupying the northern portion of the Sacramentos, with the agency and 
headquarters at Mescalero, kindly furnished me with this and several 
other elevations in the vicinity, together with some valuable topograph- 
ical data pertaining to the region. Fort Stanton lies just to the north of 
the Sacramentos, elevation 6151 feet. Tularosa lies at the west base, 
elevation 4140 feet. The road from Tularosa to Fort Stanton crosses 
the mountains, the elevation at the top of the divide being about 7000 
feet. The Agency, or Mescalero P. O., is eighteen miles up this road 
from Tularosa, and about .seven miles below the top of the divide. It is 
eighteen miles from the Agency to the Upper Ruidoso store, where the 
road first strikes the Rio Ruidoso. It is only a couple of miles from here 
up the Ruidoso to Dowling’s Mill (now Wingfield’s), the elevation of 
which is 6455 feet, as given by military map. The road to Fort Stanton, 
however, leaves Dowling’s Mill to the left, and also Gilmore’s ranch, 
which latter is on Eagle creek well up toward base of White Mountain, 
some twelve or fifteen miles from the Upper Ruidoso store, and at an 
elevation of about 7000 feet. The main road also leaves Austen’s ranch, 
on the Rio Bonito, to the left. Austen’s ranch is on the north fork of 
the Bonito, twelve miles above Fort Stanton, and at an elevation of about 
6400 ie - . 
The lidoso, Eagle Creek, and the two forks of the Bonito all head on 
the east* rn slope of White Mountain. They all run in a general easterly 
direction. The two forks of the Bonito join immediately above Fort Stan- 
ton. Eagle Creek flows into the Ruidoso some eight or ten miles below 
the Upper. Ruidoso store. The town of Lincoln is in the valley of the 
Rio Bonito, below Fort Stanton; and some distance below Lincoln, the 
Rio Bonito and Rio Ruidoso join their waters to form the Rio Hondo. 
It should be stated that Fort Stanton was abandoned in 1895 (about No- 
vember or December) as a military post. 
The Rio Tularosa heads above the Agency, on the opposite side of * 
the divide from the other streams just mentioned, and flows down the 
Tularosa canon or valley, and through the town of Tularosa, which it 
supplies with water. The town is situated at the mouth of the canon. 
Up the valley of this stream, the road goes to the Agency. 
The plains all around the bases of these mountains are Upper Sonoran , 
and this zone reaches up into the Sacramentos to the elevation of about 
6400 feet. Here the pinon ( Finns edulis) and juniper ( Juniperus ) be- 
gin, and betoken the change to the Transition. On White Mountain, 
the Boreal is well-marked above the Transition , but at just what altitude 
