scattered small
stands of Douglas fir, _Pseudotsuga menziesii_ (Merb.) Franco. These
are the "spruce trees" of Spruce Tree Canyon. An occasional ponderosa
pine, _Pinus ponderosa_ Laws., represents a vestige of more montane
species of plants and animals in the Park. The dusky grouse,
_Dendragapus obscurus_ (Say), occurs along the North Rim in
oak-chaparral, and is one of the few montane species of birds; several
montane mammals are discussed later. The vegetation of the Mesa Verde
has not changed appreciably in the last thousand years. The tree rings
of 13 centuries show that Douglas fir has grown essentially as it does
now, varying with precipitation from year to year, and periodically
suffering from drouth (Schulman, 1946:18). Surface ruins yield mostly
pinyon and juniper; cave ruins yield more Douglas fir than surface
ruins; and "only rarely does yellow pine [_Pinus ponderosa_] occur in
the ruins, indicating that then, as now, this tree grew only in the
northern and higher parts of the Mesa Verde, remote from most of the
ruins" (Getty, 1935:21).

Not all areas within the Park are undisturbed. The rights of way of
roads are kept clear, as are campgrounds and other facilities in the
area of headquarters. Part of the Mancos Valley within the Park is
privately owned and is still in agricultural use. Cattle from land
belonging to the Ute Indians wander into the Park from the Mancos Canyon
along the floor of the canyon above the mouth of Weber Canyon. In
addition to the pasture near headquarters, Prater Canyon below a fence
across the canyon above Middle Well is used to pasture horses used by
visitors to the Park and belonging to the pack and saddle concessioner.
In 1956, the floor of Long Canyon was grazed by stock belonging to Utes,
and horses ranged freely onto Wetherill Mesa as far as the North Rim.
Occasionally livestock enter the floor of other canyons, for example
Navajo, Soda, Prater, Morfield, and Waters canyons, owing to inadequate
fencing, or no fencing.

[Illustration: FIG. 2. Map of Mesa Verde National Park and vicinity. The
map and this legend provide the names of places mentioned in the
following accounts of mammals. Localities from which specimens have been
preserved are indicated by dots. Localities within 1/2 mile of each
other are not indicated by separate dots. Unnumbered dots designate some
of the places from which specimens were obtained. The numbered dots are:
(1) Prater Grade; (2) Upper Well, Prat