Mammals of the Southwest Mountains and Mesas

Mammals of the Southwest Mountains and Mesas is by George Olin, with illustrations by Edward Bierly. The text says the Hudsonian Life Zone is marked by a noticeable decrease in numbers of plant species and lies at an altitude of 9500 to 11,500 feet, with severe winters and summers of short duration. The text says that at 12,000 feet and above the eternal snows lie deep on the peaks, and that among the larger mammals there are few other than the mountain sheep that can endure the rigors of this inhospitable region.

The narrator recalls being quartered with a brother in an old bunkhouse one winter, and describes a woodrat that would come up through a hole in the corner of the room as soon as the lights were out. The text asks whether any group of men should ever be allowed such control over a wilderness that they are able to exterminate the fauna and flora to the detriment of succeeding generations, and says the answer seems obvious if we consider that "we but hold these things in trust."