Field notes : Mexico, 1949

[Note on top of page 41]

La Cedra. Tecopatlan Manantlan Rancho N of Chante C. del Perote is to the north northwest C. de Tecolote is west, a little OVER

[see next transcription for full text of pages 40 and 41]

[left page] 40 APRIL 16, 1949. SIERRA DE ALTLAN.

PACKED UP AND LEFT CAMP TODAY. THE MULE DRIVERS WERE SLOW GETTING UP THE MOUNTAIN AND SLOWER GETTING PACKED, SO WE FINALLY LEFT AT 12:30. I SHOT A SCELOPORUS ON THE WAY DOWN AT ABOUT 7500 FT, AND ONE OF THE INDIAN MULE DRIVERS PICKED UP AN ANOLIS AT ABOUT 4600 FT.

TO GET TO OUR LOCALITY, ONE GOES FROM CHANTE THRU LA CEDRA AND TECOPATLAN TO A GROUP OF RANCHES CALLED MANANTLAN. WE WERE IN THE MOUNTAINS TO THE EAST OF MANANTLAN. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF SPRINGS IN THE NW CORNER OF THE VALLEY IN WHICH MANANTLAN IS LOCATED, AND THE TRAIL UP THE MT. PASSES THRU THIS AREA. OUR CAMP, AT 7600 FT., WAS TO THE SOUTHEAST OF MANANTLAN.

THE INDIANS IN THE PACK TRAIN KNOW WHAT THE SALAMANDERS WERE, CALLING THEM AXOLOTLS. THEY TOLD ME THAT THE STREAM FROM WHICH I TOOK THEM IS THE ONLY ONE IN THIS ENTIRE REGION, THAT THEY HAD NEVER SEEN THEM ELSEWHERE. THE STREAM FLOWS INTO THE RIIO ARMERIA, WHICH IS PACIFIC DRAINAGE DIRECTLY. THUS IT COULD SEEM THAT THIS IS A TOTALLY ISOLATED, ENDEMIC POPULATION.

[right page] 41 APRIL 17, 1949, CONT.

MUSEUM AT GUADALAJARA. I TOOK NOTES ON IT AND PRESERVED IT PROPERLY FOR THEM. MAC GOT SOME COLORED PICTURES OF IT FOR ME.

WE DROVE TO GUADALAJARA THIS P.M.

APRIL 18, 1949, GUADALAJANA. SPENT DAY GRUBBING THRU BOOKSTORES. FOUND ONE HORRIBLE OLD THING I BOUGHT FOR ITS SHORT PIECE ON THE RELATIONS OF MAN AND SNAKES.

APRIL 19, 1949 - GUADALAJANA. HELMUT AND I WENT OUT TO A BARRANCA WHICH IS LOCALLY CALLED "BARRANCA IBARRA", WHICH IS THE SAME NAME AS BAILEY'S TYPE LOCALITY OF CTENOSAURA PARKER, WHETHER ITS THE SAME LOCALITY OR NOT. WE ENDED UP ON TOP OF THE CANYON, HOWEVER, SO WE HAD TO WALK DOWN THE OLD POST ROAD TO AGUASCALIENTES. THE DISTANCE, HOWEVER DEFEATED US, SO WE HAD TO TURN BACK. PEOPLE TOLD US THAT THERE ARE LARGE LIZARDS IN THE BOTTOM OF THE CANYON, AND WE PLAN TO DRIVE THERE NEXT TRIP IN. A ROAD RUNS TO THE POWERHOUSE ON THE DAM WHICH WE COULD SEE FAR BELOW, AND WE WILL COME BACK ON THAT.

I GOT A SMALL ANOLIS ON THE TOP OF THE HILL. I ALSO SAW CNEMIDOPHORUS, WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN TOPOTYPES, BUT I DIDN'T GET ANY OF THEM.

APRIL 20, 1949 - GUADALAJARA AND AMECA. DROVE TO AMECA IN THE P.M., AFTER WAITING ALL DAY TO GET STARTED. THE HGHWY TO TEQUILA IS PAVED, AND WE FOLLOWED IT FOR ABOUT 20 MILES, TURNING OFF ON AN

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[left page] 42 APRIL 20, 1949, CONT. IMPROVED ROAD TO AMECA. IT IS NOW IN THE PROCESS OF CONSTRUCTION, BUT IS A FAIRLY GOOD ROAD ALREADY. I SAW TURTLES IN THE ROADSIDE PONDS AND CREEKS, BUT WE DIDN'T STOP. WE PUT UP IN THE HOTEL REGIS IN AMECA.

APRIL 21, 1949 - AMECA. WENT OUT WITH THE MASTOS, AND HUNTED ALONG A SMALL CREEK WHILE THEY RAN THEIR TRAPS. IT WAS ABOUT 7 MI. W. OF AMECA, ON ONE OF THE DETOURS MADE FOR THE NEW ROAD, WHICH IS STILL IN THE PROCESS OF BUILDING HERE. THE ROAD FORDS A SMALL STREAM, AND I GOT OUT THERE. I TURNED ROCKS ALONG THE STREAM, BUT FOUND NOTHING FOR 3/4 OF AN HOUR. I THEN WORKED ALONG A HILLSIDE, AND FINALLY GOT A SNAKE (S???) UNDER A ROCK WHERE THE CREEK CUT OVER TO THE HILLSIDE. I LATER GOT A SCELOPORUS FENRAMPEREZI NEAR THE CREEK. FROGS JUMPED INTO THE CREEK, I THINK THEY WERE PIPIENS.

AFTER BREAKFAST, I TOOK THE TRUCK AND DROVE AROUND TRYING TO FIND A PLACE TO COLLECT. I TRIED GOING NORTH, BUT THERE WERE NO GOOD ROADS. I FINALLY ENDED UP ON THE "CAMINO REAL", THE OLD SPANISH ROAD TO THE WEST. I FOLLOWED IT FOR 10 MILES, UNTIL IT FORDED THE RIO AMECA. I DIDN'T CHANCE THE FORD. I SHOT SEVERAL CTENOSAURA OFF STONE FENCES ALONG THE ROAD.

I PARKED ON THE WAY BACK AND WALKED TO THE RIVER. IT WAS CHOCKFUL OF TADPOLES. A SHORT WAY UPSTREAM FROM WHERE I PARKED (AGAIN 7 MI. W., THIS TIME N. OF THE RIVER). I FOUND A SLOUGH, WHICH PRODUCED BUFO, RANA, HYLA, AND LEPTODACTYLUS I SAW SNAKE TRAILS AND SHED SKINS, BUT

[right page] 43

APRIL 21, 1949. – CONT. NO SNAKES.

APRIL 22,1949. – AMECA THE MASTOS WENT OUT LAST NIGHT AND TOOK THE TRUCK, STAYING THE FULL NIGHT, EXPECTING TO BE BACK FOR BREAKFAST. CAME BREAKFAST AND THEY DIDN'T SHOW, SO I WAITED. THEY FINALLY CAME IN AT NOON, AND I COULDN'T GO OUT AND ACHIEVE ANYTHING BEFORE TIME FOR DINNER. THAT TOOK TILL 3 O'CLOCK – BY THEN THE MASTOS WERE READY TO GO AGAIN. MY DAY WAS TOTALLY WASTED EXCEPT FOR SOME RANA & BUFO I GOT WHEN I WENT OUT WITH THE MASTOS.

APRIL 23, 1949. – AMECA BILL AND I DROVE E OF THE CITY ON THE OLD CAMINO REAL TODAY. THE ROAD PARALLELS THE RAILROAD MOST OF THE WAY ACROSS THE VALLEY, APPARENTLY. THERE ARE MANY STONE FENCES AND CONSIDERABLE COVER ALONG THE ROAD, SO BILL RODE ON THE FENDER FOR SHOOTING. HE SHOT A SCELOP AND A CNEMIDOPHORUS. ABOUT 5 1/2 - 6 MI. E. OF AMECA, THE ROAD FORKS AND ONE BRANCH GOES SOUTH ACROSS THE R.R. WE WENT THAT WAY, PICKING UP A YOUNG FELLOW AS WE WENT. HE SPENT THE REST OF THE MORNING WITH US, CATCHING TURTLES, ETC. WE PASSED THRU A RANCH CALLED SAN ANTONIO, AND FORDED THE RIO AMECA ON THE RANCH'S SOUTH EDGE. WE STOPPED THERE TO COLLECT. THE RIVER WAS FAIRLY HIGH, CLAY AND SAND BANKS, AND RUNS FAIRLY DEEPLY, IN PLACES TURTLES WERE ABUNDANT AND I GOT A SERIES. I SAW SEVERAL SNAKES IN WATER HYACINTH BEDS, BUT GOT ONLY ONE. RANA PIPIENS WAS VERY COMMON ALONG THE BANKS.

[left page] 44

APRIL 24, - AMECA. AFTER THE MASTOS GOT BACK IN THE MORNING, I TOOK HELMUT TO THE AIRPORT TO FIND OUT ABOUT ROADS TO SAN SABASTIAN, THEN TOOK HIM BACK TO TOWN AND WENT OUT ALONE. I WENT S OF TOWN ALONG THE ROAD TO SAN MARTIN HIDALGO AND AUTLAN, STOPPING FIRST ABOUT A HALF MILE S OF THE AIRPORT. SAW 2 COVE'S DEER, AND SHOT AT THEM, BUT MISSED.

FROM THERE I DROVE ABOUT 2 MI. FURTHER SOUTH AND STOPPED AT A BRIDGE WHICH HAD A SMALL POND OF STAGNANT WATER, ALL THAT WAS LEFT OF A GOOD SIZED CREEK. I FOLLOWED THE CREEK BED BOTH WAYS FROM THE ROAD, COLLECTING SCELOPS & CNEMIDOPS WHEN I RETURNED TO THE SMALL POOL I SCALED UP AND CAUGHT A 5 1/2 FOOT MASTICOPHIS FLAGELLUM. R. PIPIENS WAS ALSO ABUNDANT AROUND THIS POOL. RETURNED TO TOWN, AS IT WAS TIME FOR THE MASTOS TO GO OUT AGAIN.

APRIL 25, 1949 - AMECA - GUADALAJARA. WE LEFT AMECA AFTER THE MASTOS FINISHED SKINNING. WHILE I WAITED I DROVE WEST AGAIN ALONG THE CAMINO REAL AND SHOT 4 MORE CTENOSAURS. I KEPT ONE WHOLE SPECIMEN AND PRESERVED THE REST, AS SKULLS ONLY, TAKING DATA ON THEM FIRST. THEY WERE, AS USUAL, ON STONE FENCES ALONG THE ROAD.

THE VALLEY OF AMECA IS A VERY DIFFICULT ONE TO COLLECT IN, BECAUSE OF THE INTENSE CULTIVATION IT HAS UNDERGONE. THE RIVER IS USED IN ALL PARTS OF THE VALLEY FOR IRRIGATION, AND THE WHOLE VALLEY IS COVERED WITH SUGAR CANE, CORN AND WHEAT. ONE IS FORCED TO GO A LONG WAYS TO FIND A PLACE WILD ENOUGH TO COLLECT

[right page] 45

APRIL 25, 1949, CONT. IN. THE WHOLE VALLEY IS WELL POPULATED, AND IT IS PRACTICALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO STOP AND COLLECT WITHOUT SPENDING A HALF HOUR EXPLAINING WHAT YOU ARE DOING TO SOMEONE.

DROVE SOUTH ON THE AMECA - AUTLAN ROAD TILL WE PICKED UP THE AUTLAN - GUADALAJARA HGHY, THEN WENT TO GUADALAJARA. THIS IS MUCH THE BETTER ROAD, BUT THE OTHER WILL PERHAPS BE BETTER WHEN IT IS FINISHED. STAYED IN THE HOTEL MORALES IN G.

APRIL 26, 1949 - GUADALAJARA. SPENT DAY HERE, WAITING FOR MAIL FOR HOOPER, ALTHO WE HAD ORIGINALLY PLANNED TO GO ON AT NOON TODAY.

APRIL 27, 1949 - GUADALAJARA - TEPIC, NAY. WE LEFT HERE EARLY THIS MORNING, ON THE GUAD - TEPIC HGHY. WE CONTINUED CLEAR TO TEPIC, WHERE WE PICKED UP A ROAD TO THE SOUTH WHICH TOOK US, EVENTUALLY, TO A SMALL PLACE CALLED SAN JOSE DEL CONDE. BY WAY OF CAMPOSTELA THIS WAS AS CLOSE AS WE COULD GET TO THE SIERRA SAN SEBASTIAN BY TRUCK. WE CAMPED A SHORT WAY SOUTH OF TOWN AND WAITED TILL THE NEXT DAY TO TRY TO GET MULES.

WE FOUND A MASTICOPHIS FLAGELLUM DOR JUST OUTSIDE OF NATLAN, NAYARIT. THE BUZZARDS HAD EATEN HIM PRETTY BADLY, BUT I KEPT HIM ALL FOR CLOSER INSPECTION LATER. HOOPER SHOT A SCELOPORUS FOR ME JUST OUTSIDE COMPOSTELA.

THE COUNTRY HERE IN NAYARIT IS ALMOST A STEADY PICTURE OF ISOLATED MOUNTAINS AND LARGE, FERTILE VALLEYS. THE MOUNTAINS LOOK TO BE QUITE BARE AND DRY FOR THE MOST PART, ALTHO SOME HAVE SCRUB OAK AND PINE