220 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. 83 



between these thickets and the water. Marshy areas too wet for cul- 

 tivation are used as pastures. Under these conditions, the number of 

 land birds, aside from passing migrants, is not large, but aquatic 

 species abound. Among these there are numerous species that are 

 not listed in the accompanying report, as no extensive collection of 

 them was made, so in this group there are many additions to be made 

 to our list. 



Work continued here until February 20 and included visits by 

 launch on February 10 and 12 to El Conejo about midway between 

 Tlacotalpam and Alvarado, and a little more than an hour's run 

 from the first-mentioned of these two places. Here, Carriker inves- 

 tigated the low, broken range of hills that has a width of about a mile 

 and an average height of 300 feet, and that extends for miles along 

 the coast below Alvarado. These hills resemble ancient sand dunes 

 and seem originally to have been covered with low woodland, some 

 of which still remains in scattered areas. Extensive sections have 

 been cleared and are now covered with short, thick grass used for 

 pasture. Birds were abundant here, though the number of species 

 was not great. The western mockingbird {Mimus polyglottos leu- 

 coptents) was common, Icterus prosthemelas was more abundant than 

 elsewhere, and here Carriker found the Inca dove (Scardafella inca) . 



On February 21 he returned to Tres Zapotes. The weather in the 

 meanwhile had moderated, with the dry season coming early. Until 

 May, rain fell once in late February and again on April 10, in great 

 contrast to conditions I had encountered the previous year. The 

 rainy season began again at an early date, being initiated with a 

 tremendous downpour on May 7. Between March 11 and April 3, 

 Carriker made eight trips to the Cerro de Tuxtla (pi. 28, fig. 1), go- 

 ing in by way of Tapacoyan Arriba on the west flank of the moun- 

 tain. These were one-day expeditions, and the birds secured were 

 prepared at the main camp. Early in May he located for 8 days in 

 Tapacoyan. 



The Sierra de Tuxtla ends at the southwest in the Cerro de Tuxtla, 

 which rises abruptly to about 4,000 feet elevation. There are few 

 outlying foothills on the west and south, though low, broken hills 

 lie between Tres Zapotes and the base of the peak. The whole of 

 the western and southern slopes of the cerro is covered with a luxu- 

 riant growth of almost virgin forest, with clearings up to 800 feet 

 elevation. On the eastern face most of the original forest has been 

 cut and the slopes are now in pasture. Only where the descent is 

 precipitous does forest remain. The region to the east and south- 

 east is hilly and broken. Two peaks form the summit. The area 

 on this mountain lying above 2,000 feet altitude is limited and is com- 

 posed of narrow, steep-sided ridges, along whose summits the trees 



