Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1908-05-11
LIFE IN THE DESERT.
How Animals and Vegetation Fight
Against Extinction.

Against Extinction.
Almost all life on the desert goes
armed. In the vegetation world of the
desert the cactus comes first with it's
numberless species. They are all arm
ed with long or short, tough spines that
can penetrate the thickest boot. The
solitary and often grotesque Joshua or
Yucca, the mesquite, the cats claw and
numberless shrubs whose names have
not been written, all are armed in one
way or another Some eXude poison
GUS sap, others nauseating doors. The
sagebrush is about the only one that
does not seem to have any protection.
In the animal kingdom most are
either armed With sharp teeth, spineS,
odors or poison to serve to keep their
enemies at a distance, while the others
depend upon their feetness OR artfui
skulking and hiding.
The spines and repulsive ella mon
ster, the horned toad, the sidewinder,
with his two horns and deadly fangs,
and its cousin, the desert rattlesnake;
the tarantula, scorpion and desert bee,
each of whose sting is exceedingly
painful and sometimes fatal, are
among the deserts denizens. Then
there are many varieties of lizards,
large and small and Of many colors,
which protect themselves by their speed
alone. The proving coyote. bobcat,
| mountain lion, jack rabbit cottontail,
mountain sheep. ibex, antelope and an
occasional deer are there
Among the smaller animals are the
gopher, kangaroo rat, trade rat, hydro
phobia skunk, ground squirrel and in
Vulnerable mice. But the traveller sell
dom sees any of these The prosDector
however, soon becomes acquainted
with them. The first or, at the latest
second night of his stay in any one
! camp he will be visited by a trade rat,
which will carry away all that portion
| of his outfit that is not too heavy for
his Nratship to handle and religiously
leave some stick or stone in it's place.
A hydrOphobia skunk will be apt to
call and lunch from any bacon rinds
that may be lying about, not diSdain-
ing a nip at Mr.. PrOspectOrS nose If
the opportunity offers. 1t is said and
firmly believed by the sons Of the des-
ert that the bite of this little skunk
produces hydrophObia. The ella mon
ster is seldom seen, and the writer
after having spent nearly a year on
the borders of Death valley has yet
to see one at large. RattleSnakes are
also scarce except in some favorable
locality.
All life on the desert lives by it's pow
er to resist thirst. All desert plants
are so constructed that they are able
to conserve and store up moisture
against the time of drought. This ne
cessity has wrought peculiar forms of
both animals and plants, and in time
it also leaves it's indelible mark upon
men who dwell amid it's wastes. The
leaves of all desert trees are small and
thick, so that they expose as little sur
face as possible for evaporation in the
| dry air The great and ever present
evidence of the struggle for water Is
noticeable everywhere where men
come together on the desert In this
/ struggle all who come to the desert
must engage instantly. Every wagon
must have it's water barrels, every
burro his water bags, each man his
canteen.-Los Angeles Times.