THE HERPETOLOGY OF PORTO RICO. 



By Leonhard Stejneger, 

 Curator, Division of Reptiles and Batrachians. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The present account of the herpetology of Porto Rico is based 

 primarily upon the collections recently accumulated in the United 

 States National Museum, consisting- of about 900 specimens. 



Of this large amount of material nearly 350 specimens were collected 

 by Mr. A. B. Baker, of the National Zoological Park, who accompanied 

 the U. S. Fish Commission expedition to Porto Rico during- the early 

 part of 1899, and the other naturalists then attached to the Fish Hawk. a 



About 540 specimens were secured in 1900 by Dr. C. W. Richmond 

 and the present writer, who visited Porto Rico and Vieques from 

 February 12 to April 19. This number includes various specimens 

 collected then or shortly afterwards at our request by other persons, 

 among whom may be mentioned Dr. A. Stahl, of Bayamon, Porto 

 Rico; Mr. L. M. McCormick, of New York; Mr. B. S. Bowdish, of 

 New York, and Mr. Charles E. Adams. 



It may be added that the National Museum during 1901 employed 

 Mr. B. S. Bowdish for several months in collecting in Porto Rico and 

 Mona Island. The most important result was the discovery of a new 

 species of Anolis in Mona. 



The trip which I undertook in conjunction with Dr. C. W. Rich- 

 mond, Assistant Curator of -Birds, was primarily for the purpose of 

 collecting specimens characteristic of the West Indian fauna for exhi- 

 bition at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo. It was originally 

 our intention to proceed from Porto Rico to the smaller islands on the 

 east and south, but an attack of fever to which we both fell victims 

 prevented us from carrying out our plans. The fever and the long- 

 convalescence also seriously interfered with our work in Porto Rico, 

 so that we lost nearly three weeks collecting. 



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«For an account of this expedition see Dr. B. W. Evermann's General Report on 

 the Investigations in Porto Rico of the U. S. Fish Commission steamer Fish Hawk 

 in 1899, in U. S. Fish Commission Bulletin for 1900, pp. 3-25. 



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