1895 
> -ty 
Mount 
Qriaaba 
tipped the snowy peak and the dark sunsait of Black Mountain to the south 
warmed up to a rich 'brown. The dead world seemed to breathe again and 
the faint note of a JTunco wa* heard in a cheerful matin even up to the 
16,000 feet where we were* Hear' 15,000 feet tho grass ceased entirely 
hut several mosses and lichens held their own even up to 10,500 feet 
where they were found sparingly scattered in sheltering crevices in 
the lava, . 
At 15,500 feet an Audubcn’s Warbler was seen flitting from rook to 
rock,- the highest point at which 1 saw ary bird on this peak. At 15,400 
feet, some hundreds of foot above the last blade of grass or flowering 
plant, I was surprised and interested to find the tracks of quite a 
number of Sltows loneopus , , (?) in the fine, absolutely bare 
volcanic sand lying about huge boulders, and from these leading away to 
other boulders on all sides. What these little beasts could be doing 
up here was beyond ay ability to surmise. 
* 
This is the highest point reached by any marnmal in Mexico so far as 
ny observations go on the three highest peaks. In its wide-spread dis¬ 
tribution over Earth America this is one of the most remarkable little 
raaromls of our fauna. It is v^ry strailer to the pretty little white¬ 
footed field mouse of all the eastern States, After we began dialing 
among the long line of loose rocks and spur-like points of the lava 
ridge leading up to the summit the way became very stoop but not at all 
dangerous. 
Par up above us stood out the knob-like, gray mass of rock just be¬ 
low tho summit and known to the sulphur gatherers as the outlook,- 
Mira dor. As xtsual, the leather-lunged Indians were in advance and evi¬ 
dently re garded with no small contempt the lack of ability to keep up 
with them. For every fifteen or twenty yards of advance I found it 
necessary to stop and regain iqy breath,- time not lost however as it 
172 
