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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

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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.

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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