Arizona republican., 1899-02-28
A SCIENTISTS VIEW.
Of the Wealth of Arizona in Natural History and Evidences
 of the Past.

t.i D. F. Hall, who was formerly con i.nected with the National museum, an adjunct of the Smithsonian Institute,
 has been in the valley several months and has already become interested in
 ir as a field for his researches. While
 engaged by the National museum he
 was also working in the interests of
 the University of Nebraska, and his mission was the collection of birds and insects. In the course of a conversa- LicTi lie sid:
 "In your delightful climate I see good field for discoveries in the line Of entomology and ornithology. While the specimens are as rule well known ill the east and other parts of the coun- try the species, among the birds in par ticular, differ. An example is your ducks. I have studied ducks in Flor
 ida and places west, and of course knew of the large number of ducks
 iE California and other places between
 Florida and the Pacific coast, but I was indeed surprised to find so many of that feathered specimen in Arizona. The reports we have seen in Washing
 ten mentoin very little of ducks in this section and I have been led to be- lieve that they were very scarce at
 tributing the scarcity mostly to the dIyness of the climate. No one hunter in 100 has any conception of the great number of varieties they are constantly hunting. It is probable that they know all tho ducLc aIOno tho Uo riO11S rivers by half a dozen names. Why, 1 have counted twenty-seven distinct varieties on the markets, and there are but sixty known varieties in the United States. When l speak Of distinct va rieties I mean varieties which have separate characteristics which never vary, rendering it very easy for one familiar with their attributes to pro- ncunce the variety at a glance. Such birds as quail, bluebirds and especially hawks, here present comparatively new types.
 There is one bill in your legislature which I would like to see Pass-the archaeological! measure. It seems to me that the people Of the territory are neglectful in caring for their antique curios:ties. The universities of every state in the Union have large collec- tions of their lccal historical remnants. Such colleges as Yale and Harvard have sent people to this territory to collect relics from the cliff dwellings and mounds and also varieties of ami nals and birds, until now they have better collections than you have here at home. In fact, the Historical so- ciety of Arizona is, 1 believe, the only organization which has so far taken the matter in hand. These relics which might have been acquired by the resi- dents so easily have been collected by | non-residents and they will some time be of much historical value. By ignor- | ing our opportunities we are disrespect- | ful to our ancestors, but aside from the | mere romantic value of the possessions and the interest they will afford, they | will become of practical use. They | will be an index to antiquarian history. | and it is the knowledge of the past, to- gether with the understanding of the present that enables the scientist to correctly guide his future researches.
 t'As for myself, I intend. to prose cute my research this summer, not only for relics, but for species of birds and animals which are fast becoming extinct. I have made a study of taxi dermy and for this reason it would af ford me great deal of satisfaction to capture and cure the hide of some of your wild animals which before many years will not be eXtant."