The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-05-31

relating to certain development of their
skulls, which bulge out st the sides IN a
surprising way. In fact, no such Dlg
bulges as these, which contain the hearing
apparatus, are to be found in any other
known animal.
One of the most curious sorts of rodents
common in Death valley is the scorpion
mouse" which lives almost wholly upon
scorpions. By the instinct, which means
experience inherited through generations
il has learned which end to tackle its prey,
by. Another creature in the same region
that likes scorpions also is the "chapparal
cock, which gobbles them by thousands
and is not less fond of centipedes, taran-
tulas, lizards and horned loads. The
last-named are too big TO swal,
low at a gulp, and so the fowl
tears them TO pieces before devouring
them. Perhaps the most beautiful
mouse in existence is found in Death val
ley, known as the ''grasshopper mouse.
1t is a lovely beast, fawn-colored IN the
back, with snowy belly and sides, short
tail and pretty little ears. Other man.
mails forwarded hither from thence are
pocket MICE" with pouches outside
their threats to stow provisions IN,
gophers, weasels, shrews, and a newly dis
covered species of lavender-gray fox with
long ears. A wonderfully big species of
coyote has been found in the valley. One
funny thing about this kind of animal IS
that il is enormously fond of watermeionS,
but il has to starve for them out there.
Only fifty miles west from Death valley,
which is $50 feet below the sea-leyel, Mount
Whitney, one of the highest mountains In
North America, uplifts its mighty peak,
covered with perpetual snow, three miles
into the air. Thus within days journey
of each other the lowest and the highest
point on this continent are found. Dr.
Merriam wrote the other day that he had
breakfasted on twenty feet OF snow and
was composing his letter 10 Secretary
Rusk at p. m. in an attitude OF rather
less than nothing and temper
ature of lilo degrees Fahrenheit In
the shade. The expedition would be
very glad TO ascend Mount Whitney but
the task is likely to be an impractlcaoie
one. Above. there are depths OF snow
which are continually precipitating them-
selves in avalanches; below, on the iower
slopes. the dissolving ice has reduced the
ground to the condition OF q hopeless
morass, through which travel is altogether
impracticable. There is. no path up the
mountain ty which even mule could
journey.
In the region described is to be found
a most astonishing opportunity Tor the
observation of a traveller. lnasmucn as
within fifty miles he can pass through all
the life zones of the earth, from the hottest
tropic to the frozen Arctic, and view not
only the vegetation, but the beasts and
birds of the various climes traversed- 1t
seems very strange to find upon the sum-
mits of Mount Whitney. the San Fran
cisco mountain. and other peaks scattered
over the warmer parts of the earth, small
colonies of yeritable Arctic life, both vege
table and animal. But this is ex-
planned when it is realized that
during a period Immediately pre-
ceding the present and known as
the glacial age the entire northern part
of the world was buried in ice. the ice-cap.
which in places was several thousand feet
in thickness, extending southwark as far
as Philadelphia and below Chicago. When
this vast cosmic glacier receded many
Arctic plants and creatures were stranded
on lofty mountains, where at sufficiently
lofty attitudes the temperature never be-
came too high for theacontinuance of their
existence. For an example, the San Fran
cisco mountain in Arizona is an extinct
volcano inhabitated by plants and ami
mails which could not possibly have
reached 1t since the glacial period. Though
an isolated peak rising out of vast and
burning desert, its snowy top is vertiable
Arctic colony. RENE BAcHE.