The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-05-31
IN DEATHS VALLEY.
Strange Plants and Animals in
the California Inferno.
THE HIDEoUs CORPSE CACTUS.
At Night the Desert swarms With Liz
Mice, Wildcats and Coyotes.

OlSaDii 70 Dc1In valley, III CaLAAOfhs0, 40
bringing forth its first fruits. Large con-
signments of dead creatures illustrating
what it has thus far accomplished In the
study of the life of that amazing region,
have reached the department of agriculture
at Washington City. The collections thus
far received here include 1858 mammals, be-
side numerous birds, reptiles, insects ana
other specimens. II is desired by the sci
entihc authorities IN charge to find out
just what animal and vegetable life Is able
to preserve existence under conditions so
extraordinarily unfavorable as are found
in this desert Of horror, the like Of which
is not found anywhere else in the world.
Of plants there is scarcely anything to
be discovered beside cacti, which only rep
resent q sort of vegetable half-life, and
clumps of chapparal that are gray instead
of green. One sort of cactus that grows 10
be five or six feet in height, with
extended branches, is called the dead
Man." because each stalk in the night
looks like corpse by the wayside In
rare spots where water has gathered may
be seen q singular feshy bush without
leaves and with thick green stems. Such
vegetation as there is is rank and spiny,
il gray or dull olive hues harmonizing
wierdly with the parched and barren as
poets of the great alkali sink known as
Death valley-a narrow strip of burning
salt and alkali crust, extending north and
south between two precipitous walls Of
mountains, the Amargosa and Panramint
ranges. Those who have visited it say
that it is beyond human pow
crs OF description to picture the
wholly unnatural scene to be
heheld there-the vast stretches of white
plain variegated with black lava, the al
Turing mirages, the strange appearance of
the towering hills outlined like the back
bones of monstrous beasts against the yell
low sky. the total absence of trees, the
dearth of animal life, and the intense heat,
from which there is no escape. Here and
there, too, are pebble beds miles in extent,
made up of agate, moss-agate, chalcedony,
jasper and obsidian.
This astonishing desert, however, is by
no means so devoid of animal life as its as
pect by daylight would lead the observer
to imagine. As soon as night falls it is
all aswarm with creatures of vari-
Gus sorts. Countless lizards come
out of their burrows to look
for insect prey, snakes wriggle across the
scorpions and tarantulas OF enormous
size sharpen their claws for combat Rats,
mice and squirrels trot about in active
pursuit of game, and wildcats and coyotes
forsake their lairs on the mountain sides
and roam over the plains in pursuit of all
sorts::of smaller mammals. 1t is a nocturnal
population, simply because the heat is so
great as TO forbid going out IN the day
time.
The Death valley expedition has not at
tempted TO encamp upon the desert itself
for the sake of securing specimens. 1t has
been Obliged TO content itself with pitch
ing tents about the edge, at the foot of the
mountains, making brief expeditions across
the torrid plain, setting traps, and return
ing as quickly as possible By this method
the traps could be emptied and set again
without much loss of time. Time is of
consequence in Death valley, where man
requires two gallons of water daily to keep
him from dying of thirst and even thus is
sufferer. Little traps of very simple and
most admirable pattern are employed for
catching the small mammals. Two or three
dozen of them are conveniently carried in
the pockets of ones coat, and the game
coveted can enter from any side. Each
one is hardly more than wire spring, in
geniously contrived so that the quadru-
pedal victim is not obliged TO enter a hole
sees no danger and does not dream of peril
until he is caught. Corn meal is employed
for bait, and is found most fetching. For
the large mammals the gun must be
brought into requisition, while the rep
tiles usually slow of movement, are read
iiv gathered in OF birds, there are very
few in the neighhorhood of Death valley.
though the raven, that funereal fowl, is
very plentiful in the woods that skirt its
edges, CRYING with mournful notes for the
srax- Nxhn Arfa
scattered over the burning level.
As quickly as possible after they are
caught, the animals trapped and shot are
skinned by the explorers, all of whom are
skilled taxidermists. No great pains are
taken with the stuffing. A lump of raw
cotton supplies the place of the vitals. and
tail is extended by wire thurst through
It's length. Arsenic is sprinkled all over
the inside for preservative purposes. and
the specimen is stretched with four pins
on hoard to dry. As soon as they
have thus been made ready. the pre-
served creatures are forwarded 10
the department of agriculture at
Washington. Supply wagons travel
constantly between the expedition and the
visions and convey mails. A great many
individuals of each species found nave
to be killed and forwarded, because indi-
viduals here and there differ, and il is nee
essary TO determine where these individual
differences end and new species begin
For example. one kind Of rat may have
ears of various sizes and different lengths !;
and il is requisite to find out the line
of demarkation which separates this ami
NAL from another species.
Thus far the animals sent in to the de-
partment are merely such as have been
found in Death valley, because the expe-
dition has been availing itself Of the cool
weather in that region. Now IL has re-
treated to the mountain slopes, and il will
not be possible TO conduct any further I'M
veStigations on the torrid plain until late
next autumn. Nearly all of the creatures
found in the valley are nocturnal in their
habits, because they are not able 10 ven
ture out in the daytime on account OF
the great heat. Among them are three
species of ground squirrels, which live in
burrows and feed AZ night upon roots.
leaves and seeds Of plants One Of them
often climbs the stalks for the purpose Of
getting al the seeds. At other times il
stands on its hind feet, clasps the stems
With its forepaws, and bites off the seed
pods, diSIending It's check pouches enor-
moUSly with the food. One fellow shot by
DR.. Herman. chief Of the expedition. had
thirty-nlne unoroken seedpods in his
pouches.
Another most interesting animal that
inhahitS Death valley is the kangaroo
rat, which makes its way about by Jump
ing liz has long and powerful hind legs
and = surprisingly long tail. It's colorlns
varies from light gray 10 dark brown. ac-
cordjns 20 whether il frequents the alkati
or the lava. nature intending to protect il
from capture by the likeness of its hue 20
its surroundings. The ksnsorao rat lives
in burrows. as does likewise a smaller
kind that is commonly called the kan
CARGO mouse. But neither is in snv true