MEXICAN TAILLESS AMPHIBIANS 7 



lines. On the expiration of his enHstment in the Army, in April, 

 1859, Xantus was placed in charge of the tidal station of the United 

 States Coast Survey at Cape San Lucas, Lower California, at the 

 earnest solicitation of Professor Baird, and he remained there until 

 1861. 



Through the influence of Professor Baird, Xantus was appointed in 

 1863 as United States consul at CoUma, Mexico, and in return made 

 large collections in that region, including the type specimens of 

 Phyllomedusa dacnicolor Cope and Bufo argillaceus Cope. This 

 appointment was revoked some time previous to August 11, 1863, 

 because of certain indiscreet understandings that Xantus had with 

 local "politicos," but he remained at Manzanillo for some months 

 afterwards as receiver for wrecked vessels. Part V of his Mexico 

 catalogue was mailed to Professor Baird on February 29, 1864. 

 Xantus was intensely interested in all branches of natural history, as 

 is shown by the quantity and variety of material he collected for the 

 Smithsonian Institution. 



In 1863, Francis Sumichrast, of Orizaba, Vera Cruz, began sending 

 specimens to the Smithsonian Institution, and additional collections 

 were received from this region until 1867. Sumichrast, who was 

 born in Yvorne, Switzerland, on October 15, 1828, accompanied M. 

 de Saussure of Geneva, the grandson of the celebrated geologist, on 

 his voyage to Mexico in 1855-56. The Mexican revolution made 

 traveling difficult, and Saussure after a year's stay returned to Geneva 

 with their collections. Sumichrast elected to remain in Mexico and 

 devote his attention to the natural history of that country. During 

 his residence in the State of Vera Cruz, he collected the type specimens 

 of Hyla spilomma Cope, H. staufferi Cope, H. bistincta Cope, Syrrho- 

 phus cystignathoides (Cope), and Eleutherodactylus rhodopis (Cope). 

 In the Smithsonian annual report for 1868,^ there appears the fol- 

 lowing statement: "Under the joint auspices of the Smithsonian 

 Institution and the Kentucky University, at Lexington, Professor 

 Sumichrast, a well-known naturalist, long resident in Mexico, has 

 gone to the Istlmius of Tehuantepec to make observations and 

 collections in natural history * * *." His first collecting seems 

 to have been done at Juchitan, Tehuantepec, in July, 1868. While 

 the full details of his movements are not known, it is certain that he 

 was at Iztal tepee, Oaxaca, on April 30, 1870; at Rancho de Cacoprieto 

 in Chiapas in April, 1872; and in December, 1872, evidently he had 

 settled down at Santa Efigenia, Oaxaca, where he made his home 

 during the remaining years of his life. In his explorations Sumichrast 

 visited the States of Vera Cruz, Puebla, Mexico, Oaxaca, and Chiapas 

 and sent collections of natural-history specimens to the Smithsonian 

 Institution, the Academy of Natural Sciences of Pliiladelphia, and 



J Ann. Rep. Board Reg. Smithsonian Inst, for 1868, p. 25, 1869. 



