Field notes : Mexico, 1949

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APRIL 27, 1949. - CONT. ON THEM QUITE A FEW OF THE STREAMS WE CROSSED HAVE WATER IN THEM.

APRIL 28, 1949 - 1 MI. SW OF SAN JOSE DEL CONDE, 3000 FT. MACINTOSH BROUGHT IN A PHYLLODACTYLUS LANEI WHICH WE HAD CAUGHT IN A MOUSE TRAP DURING THE NIGHT.

THIS IS A VERY DRY CAMPSITE, AMONGST MESQUITE AND CACTI, WITH LITTLE OR NO COVER. THERE ARE DEEPER VALLEYS ON EITHER SIDE OF THE RIDGE WE ARE ON, AND THERE IS WATER IN THESE. I COLLECTED SMALL SERIES OF THE CNEMIDOPS AND SCELOPS IN THE CANYON TO THE WEST OF THE CAMP, AS WELL AS AN ANOLIS AND SOME PIPIENS.

WHEN I RETURNED TO CAMP, THE MASTOS TOLD ME OF A BARRANCE EAST OF THE CAMP, WITH MUCH WATER, BANANAS AND ELEPHANT EARS. I WENT OVER, AND FOUND A GREEN SPRING FED VALLEY, WITH MUCH LIFE. I GOT [illegible], HYLA AND LEPTODEIRA, IN THE BANANA BOLES AND ELEPHANT EARS.

WE DROVE BACK TO SAN JOSE DEL CONDE, AND TOOK A ROAD TO THE EAST, WHICH WENT DIRECTLY TO THE HIGHWAY BY WAY OF TETITLAN, COMING OUT SE OF SANTA ISABEL WE DROVE OUT THE HIGHWAY ABOUT 3 MILES N. OF SANTA ISABEL AND MADE CAMP.

APRIL 29, 1949 - 3 MI. N. OF SANTA ISABEL, 3800 FT. OUR CAMP IS IN A CREEK BED JUST TO THE EAST OF THE ROAD, AND I FOLLOWED THIS CREEK DOWN TO A FALLS, WHICH I CIRCLED, COMING OUT IN A BANANA GOVE. I SHOT SMALL SERIES OF THE SCELOPS & CNEMIDOPS, AND ALSO PICKED

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APRIL 29, 1949 - CONT. UP AN ANOLIS & A CTENOSAURA, THE LATTER WAS ON ROCKS HIGH ON A BLUFF.

THERE IS CONSIDERABLE PERMANENT, FLOWING WATER AT THIS LOCALITY. IT FLOWS SO RAPIDLY AND DEEPLY, HOWEVER, THAT IT IS RATHER DISCOURAGING TO NERI LIFE. ALL ROCKS ARE BURIED IN SAND AND ARE UNTURNABLE. I GOT A LITTLE ELEUTHERODACTYLUS UNDER A ROCK IN THE AFTERNOON, ALONG THE RIVER, AND ALSO GOT ANOTHER AGALYCHNIS.

APRIL 30, 1949. 3 MI. N. OF SANTA ISABEL. SINCE I COLLECTED MOST OF THE COMMON STUFF HERE YESTERDAY, I HUNTED TODAY FOR THE REST OF THE NERI FAUNA. I GOT ONLY A SCELOP FOR ITS SKULL BESIDES A SNAKE WHICH LOOKS LIKE HYPSIGLENA AFFINIS, DEAD IN A PATH AND PRETTY BADLY CRUSHED. I'VE TWO OF THEM NOW, AND THEY HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY REPORTED FROM ONLY TWO LOCALITIES IN MEXICO. IT WAS IN A PATH HIGH ON A HILL, COVERED WITH LONG GRASS. THAT WAS ALL I FOUND ALL DAY.

MAY 1, 1949. GOT A LATE START, AS THE MASTOS GOT BACK QUITE LATE, I WENT EAST UP THE HIGHWAY TO THE NIGA HILLS. THERE I SAW CTENOSAURS ON THE ROCKS, BUT COULD GET NONE. I SHOT A SCELOPS THERE ALSO. MOST OF THE AREA WAS SEVERELY BURNED OVER, AND THERE WERE NO LIZARDS IN THE BURNED AREAS.

SEVERAL OF THE STREAM CUT VALLEYS HAVE WATER FLOWING IN THEM, AND I FOLLOWED ONE UP. FOUND PIPIENS

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IN IT, AS WELL AS AMPHIBIAN EGG MASSES JUST IN THE PROCESS OF HATCHING. THEY WERE CLUMPEDM WITH A SINGLE EMBRYO, ABOUT 1/4 INCH LONG, TO EACH JELLY BALL.

MAY 2, 1949 - IXTLAN, NAYARIT. DROVE TO IXTLAN ABOUT NOON, AND PUT UP AT THE HOTEL MADRID, WHICH IS A GOOD PLACE NOT TO STAY. THE SANITARY FACILITIES ARE - TO SAY THE MOST - INADEQUATE.

RODE ALONG WITH THE MASTOS 1 MI. E OF TOWN, AND WENT DOWN ALONG THE RIVER. THE STREAM HERE IS QUITE SLUGGISH AND SLOW, WITH MANY ROCKS ON THE BANKS, AND STAGNANT POOLS ALONG THE SIDES. THIS COMBINATION PRODUCED KINOSTERNON, LEPTODEIRA, BUFO, HYLA, AND LEPTODACTYLUS IN AN HOUR AND A HALF. MOST COME FROM UNDER ROCKS ALONG THE STREAM, IN THE STAGNANT POOLS.

MAY 3, 1949 - IXTLAN.

I WAS INCAPACITATED MOST OF THE DAY, HAVING A HEEL PUT ON MY SHOE. I PRESERVED WHAT I HAD AND BROUGHT MY NOTES UP TO DATE.

WENT OUT TO THE SAME PLACE ON THE RIVER AND PICKED UP 2 MORE LEPTODEIRA AND 3 LEPTODACTYLUS. MACINTOSH GOT ANOTHER BUFO & 3 LEPTODACS.

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ITINERARY

FEB.13 - MT. VERNON, ILLINOIS " 16 - LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS " 17 - JACKSONVILLE, TEXAS " 18 - LARETO, TEXAS " 19 - LINARES, NUEVO LEON " 20 - TAMAZUNCHALE, SAN LUIZ POTOSY " 21 - 28 - MEXICO CITY, D.F.

MARCH 1, - PUEBLA, PUEBLA " 2, - 4 - COFRE DE PEROTE, VERACRUZ " 5, LAS VEGAS, V.C. " 6, [JALAPA], V.C. " 7, PLAN DEL RIO, V.C. " 8, CORDOBA, V.C. " 9 - POTRENO VIEJO, V.C. " 10 - 13 - MEXICO CITY. " 14 - 15 - NEVADO DE TOLUCA, MEXICO. " 16 - CIUDAD HIDALGO, MICHOACAN " 17 - 21 - CERRO SAN ANDRES, MICHOACAN. " 22 - LAKE PATZCUARO, MICHOACAN. " 23 - CIUDAD GUZMAN, JALISCO " 24 - 28 - EL ISOLTE, NEVADO DE COLIMA, JALISCO " 29 - 30 - SAN GABRIEL, JALISCO. " 31 - CIUDAD GUZMAN, JALISCO

APRIL 1 - NEVADO DE COLIMA, JALISCO. " 2 - 6 MI. W. OF CIUDAD GUZMAN, JALISCO. " 3 - 4 GUADALAJARA, JALISCO. " 5 - AUTLAN, JALISCO. " 6 - 7 2 MI. N. OF LA RESOLANA, JALISCO. " 8 - 10 AUTLAN, JALISCO. " 11 - 15 SIERRA DE AUTLAN, JALISCO. " 16 - AUTLAN, JAL. " 17 - 19 GUADALAJARA, JAL. " 20 - 24 AMECA, JALISCO. " 20 - 24 GUADALAJARA, JAL. " 28 1 MI. SE OF SAN JOSE DEL CONDE, NAYARIT. " 29 - MAY 1 3 MI. N OF SANTA ISABEL, NAYARIT.

MAY 2 - 3 IXTLAN, NAYARIT. MAY 4 GUADALAJARA, JAL. MAY 5 NEVADO DE COLIMA, JAL. MAY 6 - 7 CIUDAD GUZMAN, JAL. MAY 8 NEVADO DE COLIMA, JAL. " 9 - 10 GUADALAJARA, JAL. " 11 9 MI. W. OF ZAMORA, MICHOACAN. " 12 - 14 4 MI. S. OF PATZCUARO, MICHOACAN.

[left page] ITINERARY (cont.)

MAY 15-17 MEXICO CITY, D. F. " 18 ZIMAPAN, HIDALGO " 19-20 PANO AYUCTLE, TAMAULIPAS " 21 ENROUTE " 22 MT. VERNON, ILLINOIS " 23 ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN

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