Arizona weekly citizen., 1883-02-18
TEE FAUNA OF ARIZONA.

grizzley, may be found anywhere in the
 mountain ranges winch reach an eleva-
 tIon of 7000 feet and upward.
 The brown bear of Arizona closely
 resembles the grizzly; bis head is fully
 as broad as long, but his nose is more
 pointed, hls hair is from four to five in
 ches long, which hangs in tangled knots.
 During the first month or two after they
 come out in the spring, they are very fe-
 rocious, and if the hunter surprises him
 or gets in too close proximity Ice is al
 most sure to become theattgcking party.
 We know of number ot instances in
 which prospectors and hunters have
 been attacked by the brown bear, some
 of which run very narrow escapes. We
 ourselves have had an experience with
 the brown bear which we would not care
 to repeat.
 There are a few cinnamon bear in the
 northern part Of the Territory, but they
 are seldom found in any of the southern
 mountain ranges.
 1 The little black bear inhablts most of 1 the highest ranges of mountains. Last year they were plentiful in the Santa ! Catalinas. They are beautiful little
 animal, with a coat of fine jet black hair
 and are much smaller than the black
 bear of the north and western States,
 Next to the bear, in the eat kind is the
 mountain lion, which are similar to those
 found in Colorado and California. They
 are a very wary but cowardly animal
 and will not fight unless they are sur prised or pressed. They abound in ev- cry part of the Territory and sometimes destroy calves and colts, but are more fond ot sheep of which they eat raven oUsly. They are the sheep herders' greatest enemy; two adult lions with | their young have been known to kill as any as fifty sheep in single night | Fortunately they are easily poisoned, | and they seldom have more than one or two ieasts of fresh mutton before they get dose of strychnine.
 The leopard is found on the western slope of the Baboquivaries and the low ranges of mountains to the west near the Mexican line. He is more com pact built animal than the lion and full as heavy. The Papago and Yaqui Indi- ans say he Is .much more to be feared than the lion. He is beautifully marked and his skin commands high price both here and in Sonora, being in demand among the Mexican vaqueros for leg gings and saddle trimmings.
 The gray wolf inhabits the mountain country, though they are very scarce.
 The coyote Is found everywhere; he is rather larger than those east Of the Rocky mountains or in northern lati- tudes.
 There are very few panthers and a lew lynx. but wild cats are found every where. There are few wolverines in the northern part of the Territory but none so far as we know have been seen | in the south.
 Arizona is greatly favored with deer, both of the black and white tail varieties. put their habits are exactly the reverse 1f the Rocky and Sierra Nevada moun- ans there the black tails seek a habita- ion near the snow line, while the white aIls are content to remain in the -al!eys; here the white tau deer are nearly always found in the higher while the black tails ire . luent the foot hills and the valleys. The mule deer which is the largest of he deer kind in America, IS very com non on the Colorado river, and the low mountain ranges in Southern Arizona. '. 'hey are a closely built, fine looking [ nimal and some of them are almost as {. arge as elks. Indeed i've saw one two \, lonths ago on the head of the Barba- omau Creek in Pima county, winch = eemed to us almost as large as the pony - Te were riding.
 Mountain sheep, and species of wild s oat are found at various points throughout the Territory, though they ave been nearly exterminated in many ,calites by Indians. We have been T, lformed that ibex have been seen in " ne Santa Rita mountains, but the - .atement lacks confirmation. " 4 few elk yet remain in the northern v art of Arizona, but there are none in le south that We have heard of. ' Peccaries, or musk hog, are very -' entiful in the southern part of the p They are small animals of VI the hog kind. and grow to sixty or VI venty pounds in weight. These are .e animals which Goldsmith, in his e' Nature" told us. rested of CT ghts by hanging their long tusks over n, n e lower limbs of trees, and thus N spended sleep securely" '- Gray fox are plentiful in all the higher ble lands of Arizona and in the foot s ils ot the higher ranges of noun inc. Beaver are numerous along all e water courses. Of rats we have lmber; the common wood rat, the big 91 Id little kangaroo rat, and rat of the larf spicies with file tail one-fourth !, nger that its body. Of mice We have Q common house, the kangaroo, the mmon field and the little black mouse. We have the large gray squirrel, the ue squirrel, chip inunk, the common ouad, the bushy striped tail, side Tt lped, the flag tail, the lime-tal and ro, rhaps one or two other varieties. ;s Of hares We have the black and white .t, led jack, and the Santa Fe as it is He'd in Colorado, but here it is known .l-. cotton tail The latter Is the com ,n rabbit of Eastern States, but is $ ich smaller here. Our space will not lin rmit of an enumeration of the birds oh. Arizona winch comprise a very large an, |. We shall therefore have to pass +b. } feathered songsters; but as many ,g, nrods outside of the Territory would fen e to hear of our quail. We will close vic stating that We are boIntifully sup ad. We have the mountain and ley quail of the California species; pro chicken quail and the lawk-billed hun ,il; both of the latter kinds We believe inn found only m Arizona in the United tho tes; the hawk-bill Is usually known e as the fool quail" owing to its uliar way Of squstting under cover 'a"
 remaining there until stepped upon, anu ,oked mp with stick. We also have d ie .hnh V bite thongh smaller than .