Monterey County CA Archives History - Books .....Chapter II Indigenous Plants And Animals 1893 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/copyright.htm http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/ca/cafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com June 2, 2006, 6:17 pm Book Title: Memorial And Biographical History Of The Coast Counties Of Central California. CHAPTER II. INDIGENOUS PLANTS AND ANIMALS. MUCH of the mountainous area of Monterey county is covered with timber of many varieties, of which the following is a partial list, as given by a local authority: The most important for commercial purposes is the redwood, which is found below Monterey; the yellow pine; nut pine; Monterey pine, found growing wild only around the bay of Monterey, but is extensively cultivated as an ornamental tree, being hardy, quick in growth, and dense and handsome in form and foliage; Coulter's pine, found in the Santa Lucia mountains; Santa Lucia fir; Western juniper or cedar; arbor-vitae; live-oak; chestnut-oak; white-oak; canon live-oak; evergreen oak; and the Monterey cypress, which is indigenous only on Cypress Point. This species is widely known throughout California, great numbers of them having been planted for ornament in most of the towns of the State; it is a hardy, quick grower, has a dense, graceful foliage, bears clipping well, and makes a fine appearance in all stages of its growth. Besides the foregoing, there are the Gove cypress, the California laurel, the madrona, manzanita, mescal, sycamore, cottonwood, horse-chestnut or buckeye, willows of various kinds, azalea, etc. Among indigenous plants, the following may be mentioned: Amole or soap-plant, the mistletoe, Spanish moss, yerba buena, yerba santa, yerba del mando, etc.; and among small fruits of native growth, are wild grapes of several varieties, blackberries, gooseberries, raspberries, whortleberries or blueberries, salmon berries and strawberries. Of the native wild flowers which grow so profusely in springtime throughout nearly every portion of Monterey county, the varieties are too numerous to mention here in detail. The most common, as they are the most valuable, of the indigenous grasses (forage plants) of California, are the burr-clover, alfileria and wild oats. Of the wild animals found in the region now known as Monterey county, by the first European settlers, the following may be mentioned: The grizzly bear, the king of beasts of the American continent, which still may occasionally be found in the region around Santa Lucia Peak, and between the headwaters of the Arroyo Seco and the Naci-iniento; the California lion, a species of cougar, which, though larger than the Eastern panther, is not as dangerous to man, from whose presence he invariably flees; but he frequently commits serious havoc with the young stock of the herdsman; the coyote and the wildcat, which are not easily exterminated, and which are also very destructive to the ganado menor, or small animals of the ranchero. The rodents or gnawers, which were found, here (and which are still omnipresent) were represented by the ground-squirrel, the gopher, several species of the rabbit, and, in the redwood regions, the gray squirrel; deer and antelope were formerly also very abundant, and are still to be found, in the more remote mountainous sections of the county. The following interesting account of the native birds of Monterey county is condensed from a learned and apparently accurate writer in a local journal, The Monterey Democrat: All the principal orders of birds are well represented here, as well as elsewhere in the State; but it is a remarkable fact that though birds are plentiful in numbers, yet in numbers of species, the Eastern States being used for comparison, birds and flowers reverse ratios. Whilst the total number of species of all departments of the vegetable kingdom is nearly fifty per cent, greater for the State of California than for all the States east of the Mississippi put together, out of nearly 1,000 species of birds in the United States only a little over 200 are found in California. The birds of prey are represented in this county by several species of owl, the great or Virginia horned owl, the screech owls and the burrowing or day owls being the most common; by the turkey-buzzard, the California condor, which is the largest rapacious bird of North America; two species of eagle, one of them our national emblem, the bald eagle; by the osprey or sea-eagle, and by various species of the hawk (Gabilan) tribe, including hen-hawks, sparrow-hawks, etc. The climbers are confined to the family of woodpeckers, of which there are several classes. The Strisores are represented by the humming-birds, which may be seen in summer and winter alike. A list of the various species of flycatchers or martins, swallows, sparrows, wrens, vireos, wood-warblers, etc., would be too long to quote here. The chaparral chock or "road-runner," or "paisano," as he is called in Spanish, is found on cactus or chaparral hills, his long tail, which serves as a sort of rudder, giving him a peculiar appearance as he runs with the fleetness of a race-horse. In the pine woods of the southern part of the county the chattering magpie may be heard. In winter the note of the robin, so familiar to the ear of the New Englander, is heard in our foothill canons, whither he has been driven by cold from the far north; and the Oregon thrush may sometimes sing among the shade-trees of our towns. Bullock's oriole and the Louisiana Tanager, gay both in plumage and song, lend their dainty presence to rural scenes; and other melodious warblers of varied plumage sing to the select few who will wander to the wilderness to listen to them. Valley quail and his more stately cousin, the mountain--quail, both beautiful birds, abound in great numbers in their respective localities. Plover, snipe, doves, wild pigeons and many varieties of smaller birds also abound in great numbers in the several localities which suit their habits. Reptiles are rare, says the writer just quoted. Rattlesnakes are found in sandy hills or rocky places, but not in great numbers. Several other kinds of harmless snakes, as well as lizards of several varieties, and horned-toads, are somewhat common in the interior, bat not so near the coast, where the climate, which is so admirably suited to the comfort and health of man, is a little too bracing for snakes and reptiles, which need plenty of sun. For them the Colorado desert is a more natural habitat. Fishes are plentiful in the bay and interior waters of Monterey. Salmon come up the Salinas in spring; trout are found in the mountain streams; Spanish mackerel, herring, baracuta, bonita, rock cod, catfish, smelt, etc., are caught off the coast. Insect life is exuberant; but those insects which are injurious to vegetation have not as yet become very numerous. Moths and butterflies ("mariposas"), of many kinds and of brilliant hues, are to be seen in great numbers in certain seasons of the year. Additional Comments: Extracted from: Memorial and Biographical History of the Coast Counties of Central California. Illustrated. Containing a History of this Important Section of the Pacific Coast from the Earliest Period of its Discovery to the Present Time, together with Glimpses of its Auspicious Future; Illustrations and Full-Page Portraits of some of its Eminent Men, and Biographical Mention of many of its Pioneers, and Prominent Citizens of To-day. HENRY D. BARROWS, Editor of the Historical Department. LUTHER A. INGERSOLL, Editor of the Biographical Department. "A people that take no pride in the noble achievements of remote ancestors will never achieve anything worthy to be remembered with pride by remote descendants."—Macaulay. CHICAGO: THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY. 1893. File at: http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/ca/monterey/history/1893/memorial/chapteri164gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/cafiles/ File size: 8.1 Kb