or Rocky Mountain sheep, the moufflon or argali of the New World.
Of the raptors the principal are the red-tailed hawk (B. borealis), the sharp-shinned hawk (A. fuscus), the sparrow-hawk, and the vulturine turkey-buzzard. Of game-birds there are several varieties of quail, called partridges, especially the beautiful blue species (O. Californica), and grouse, especially the sage-hen (T. urophasianus): the water-fowl are swans (C. Americanus), wild geese in vast numbers, the white pelican, here a migrating bird, the cormorant (Phalacrocorax), the mallard or greenhead (A. boschas), which loves the water of Jordan and the western Sea of Tiberias, the teal, red-breasted and green-winged, the brant (A. bernicla), the plover and curlew, the gull (a small Larus), a blue heron, and a brown crane (G. Canadensis), which are found in the marshes throughout the winter. The other members of the family are the bluebird (A. sialia), the humming-bird (Trochilus), finches, woodpeckers, the swamp blackbird, and the snowbird, small passerines: there is also a fine lark (Sturnella) with a harsh note, which is considered a delicacy in autumn.
Besides a variety of gray and green lizards, the principal Saurian is the Phrynosoma, a purely American type, popularly called the horned frog—or toad, although its tail, its scaly body, and its inability to jump disprove its title to rank as a batrachian—and by the Mexicans chameleon, because it is supposed to live on air. It is of many species, for which the naturalist is referred to the Appendix of Captain Stansbury's Exploration. The serpents are chiefly rattlesnakes, swamp-adders, and water-snakes. The fishes are perch, pike, bass, chub, a mountain trout averaging three pounds, and salmon trout which has been known to weigh thirty pounds. There are but few mollusks, periwinkles, snails, and fresh-water clams.[1]
The botany of the Great Basin has been investigated by Messrs. Frémont and Stansbury, who forwarded their collections for description to Professor John Torrey, of New York: M. Remy has described his own herbarium. To these valuable works the reader may be referred for all now known upon the subject.
- ↑ Mr. W. Baird, in the absence of Mr. S. Woodward, of the British Museum, has kindly favored me with the following list of a little collection from the Great Basin which I placed in his hands.
"British Museum, August 3d, 1861.
"Dear Sir,—The Helix (with open umbilicus) is, I think, H. solitaria; the large Physa is very near, if not identical with the P. elliptica of our collection; the next largest Physa comes very near P. gyrina; the larger Lymnæa is L. catascopium, the smaller ditto L. modicella. There are two species of the genus Lithoglyphus, the one resembling very much the L. naticoides of Europe, but most probably new; the other I should imagine to be undescribed. There is a small Paludina looking shell which comes very near the Paludina piscium of D'Orbigny. There is a species of Anodonta which corresponds with a shell we have from the Columbia River, but of which I do not know the name. There is also a species of Cyclas which may be new, as I do not know at present any species from North America exactly like it. Believe me, yours truly, W. Baird.
"Capt. R. F. Burton."
