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ever I approached an exceptionally outstanding scenic treasure I held myself

in tense repose and in constant fear that the object would pass by too quickly
before a mental saturation of its features were recorded.

The second incident of importance enroute was at the National Wildlife
Refuge in the Sacramento Valley near Marysville. The graceful American Egret
dominated the bird life in those endless marshes, adding an animate tough to
the country that no other bird could possibly replaced. The Egret symbolizes
the finest in the artistic aspects of life. I thought at the time how worthy
a contribution one covld make in perpetuating these bird forms for out present
entioyment and for those who follow.

The beauty of Southern Arizona and New Mexico is exemplified in the desert
aggregation of cacti and other debe. plants and of ourse the physiography
of the rugged mountains and graceful lines of the confluent alluvial plains.

The cacti, in particular, are noteworthy and represnet forms of life relatively
new in my experience. One is forcefully tmpressed with the idea of adaptation
of the vegetative forms to the conditions of their environment. They must
represant the final expression of the response of adaptation to the descicating
elements of this desert. Here again is another spot that I would like to re-
visit. Am sure that there will be something more to be found than was pvickedn
up from the train at 50 miles an hour.

Back to Barkely again. The sun is now shinning with prospects of a change
of weather. The Texans assure me that the last few days have been the exception-—
al in the states history, Was pleased to hear and see the operation of a real
live and vigorous thunder storm as compared to the somewhat delicate and
monotomous liquification of the Northwest. In just 10 mimutes of concentrated
effort by one cloud the camp was completely inundated with torrential streams
where ditches were meant to be. Durins such periods the md is tracked into the
barracks and for a day or two there becoves no distinguishing deparations between
the barracks floors and the outside. The wolks after a storm build up from the

accumulating mud dislodsed from the shoes. To combat this situation a special

implement has been provided to shovel and scrape out the md in one simple and