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38

APRIL 13 1949 - SIERRA DE AUTLAN

This area, although wet, has been heavily burned over recently - within 2 years or less, I would judge, and burned hard. All of the logs are burned some [unclear]croar taru[/unclear]. I believe that this heavy and according to Indians, repeated burning is very detrimental to [unclear]help[/unclear] stuff. I think it cleans it out of the area, and they are awfully slow to come back. It may explain the paucity of material here. Anyway, I worked hard all day, and got nothing at all.

Helmut got me another [unclear]Geramonotus[/unclear] on the mountain, however, so the day wasn't wasted.

APRIL 14 1949 - SIERRA DE AUTLAN

Worked southeast of camp along the streambed, finding many very good places for specimens, wonderful habitats, and so on. After a full morning's work I caught a Salvapoar drinking at a small pool of water in a dry section of the creek. It is amazing that such good typical habitat can be so barren of specimens.

Went downstream in the afternoon and met Bob Wilbur, all excited. He had found salamanders in the stream. He had two for me, and they were Gilled Ambystbma. Theye were living in the quiet pools formed occasionally by the rapidly flowing stream. I collected a couple more, and went to camp to make a dip net to facilitate getting a series. The thing is undoubtedly new.

Bob also killed a Thamnopnis for me which had been lying alongside a pool. He also got a Hyla from a tree he cut down.

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39

APRIL 14 1949 - SIERRA DE AUTLAN (continued)

I fashioned a dip net out of cheesecloth and spent the night catching a series of the Aribystomb. After getting the adults I found Juveniles in muddy pools upstream, and I got a few of them. There seems to be no sign of sexual activity at this time, and the Juveniles may be from this year's hatch, which would give them enough time to grow up before the rains and heavy swollen streams appear.

APRIL 15 1949 - SIERRA DE AUTLAN

Spent the morning preparing the salamanders. I tried a new technique, in order to get a full tail, with outstanding fins and gills. It worked quite well. Instead of using a pan to fix them, I dropped them in a large can of formalin, with nothing to touch them. The gills flared out and the tail fin was fully expanded. They fixed that way fairly well. The same thing worked fairly well for the Juveniles I have.

Helmut and I went out and took pictures of the pools this P.M. He went to a lot of trouble and hard work, and I think they'll be fine. I then collected a few more of the salamanders, took notes on them and their habitat and so on. The botanists brought in a scelop? and a Storeria from the top of the mountain, and Helmut brought in a Storeria he found on the trail. The Storeria key to Storerioides, but they sure don't look like the one I got on Colima. These Autlan specimens will all bear closer checking.