. Biology in America. Biology. 184 Biology in America The life of this region is widely different from that of the East, but the mere enumeration of the names of its inhabi- tants would be of little interest. Many of its species are in- habitants of the ground and buslies and are more or less bleached in color corresponding to the backgi'ound upon which they live. IIow this adaptation has been effected no one can surely say. But more of this in a later chapter. One of the most characteristic of its inhabitants is the "horned toad," which is not a toad at all, but a lizard. This littl
. Biology in America. Biology. 184 Biology in America The life of this region is widely different from that of the East, but the mere enumeration of the names of its inhabi- tants would be of little interest. Many of its species are in- habitants of the ground and buslies and are more or less bleached in color corresponding to the backgi'ound upon which they live. IIow this adaptation has been effected no one can surely say. But more of this in a later chapter. One of the most characteristic of its inhabitants is the "horned toad," which is not a toad at all, but a lizard. This little creature with its horned head is a miniature Triceratops, the giant dinosaur which once shambled across our plains. The towering Sierras rising like a mighty wall shut off the Great Basin from the interior valleys of California, and these in turn are separated from the Pacific Coast by the Coast Kange of mountains, which while pygmies compared. The Gila Monster Characleristic of the arid Southwest. Froui Ditmars, "Reptiles of All Lands," in "National Geographic Magazine," Vol. 22. with their mighty neighbors to the east, nevertheless form a very efficient climatic barrier to the moisture laden winds sweeping landward from the sea. The climatic diff'erences thus caused are reflected in the life of the interior valleys and the coastal slope. In no similar area in North America are there such gi-eat extremes of climate or more marked dif- ferences in the corresponding life. Especially is this true of Death Valley in the interior of southern California, whose lowest point is 276 feet below the surface of the sea. Here the temperature in summer frequently reaches 125°F. in the shade, and the relentless sun scarce ever hides its shameless face behind a cloud. Here lives a little community of desert dwellers, for the most part characteristic of their arid home. The fauna and flora of California are peculiar to them- selves, following however the general principl
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