Introduction to the Natural History of the San Francisco Bay Region

By Arthur C. Smith

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1959.
This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived

• Language: English
• Publisher: University of California Press
• Release date: Mar 29, 2024
• ISBN: 9780520319370

Arthur C. Smith

Enter the Author Bio(s) here.

Book preview

California Natural History Guides: I

INTRODUCTION TO THE

NATURAL

HISTORY

OF THE

SAN FRANCISCO BAY REGION

BY

ARTHUR C. SMITH

DRAWINGS BY GENE M. CHRISTMAN

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS

BERKELEY, LOS ANGELES, LONDON

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS

BERKELEY AND LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS, LTD.

LONDON, ENGLAND

© 1959 BY

THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

FIFTH PRINTING, 1974

ISBN: 0-520-01185-6

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOG CARD NUMBER: 59-6051

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

DESIGN BY JOHN B. GOETZ

CONTENTS 1

CONTENTS 1

INTRODUCTION

THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY REGION

LIVING THINGS

BIOTIC COMMUNITIES OF THE BAY REGION

THE COMMUNITY OF NATURE

NATURE ACTIVITIES

SEEING NATURE IN THE BAY REGION

WHERE TO OBTAIN HELP

SUGGESTED REFERENCES

INTRODUCTION

Most of us are interested in the world around us. We wish that we knew the name of the beautiful bird that sings on the back fence every morning; we wonder what kind of a shell it was that we picked up at the beach last Sunday; or perhaps we would like to know if that small but ferocious-looking creature we found under a rock in the back yard is really as dangerous as it looks. All too often it is just too much trouble to find the answer, and we soon forget all about it.

This series of California Natural History Guides will help you find the answers to these and many other questions about the natural history of the back yards and vacant lots of our towns and cities; the mountains, valleys, ponds, streams, deserts and beaches of California.

You may find that some phase of nature study will provide just the added interest you have been seeking to make life more enjoyable. If you are a hunter or fisherman, you may want to learn more of the nongame animals that you see on your trips afield. If you are a teacher, youth leader, or student, you may wish to increase your store of facts about plants and animals around school, camp, or home. If you are a member of a youth organization, you may want help in qualifying for merit badges or other awards in nature subjects. If you have recently moved to this area, you may find the plants and animals so different from those you have known before that you are uncertain of your identifications. This series of guides will help you to identify the common plants and animals of this region.

Whether you are eight or eighty, you will find life more enjoyable if you become familiar with nature in the bay region. Studying and observing nature can be a highly satisfying yet economical year-around recreation for the entire family. Spring, summer, fall, and winter your family car can take you (with your California Natural History Guide in hand) to beaches, mountains, fields, and marshes where you can become acquainted with the birds, butterflies, shells, rocks and minerals, trees, flowers or other interesting subjects of your choice.

At first you will be content to learn their names. Later you will want to know, for example, where the birds nest, where to look for cocoons and chrysalids, or how to identify and preserve animal tracks. If