STEJNEGER : BATRACHIANS AND REPTILES. 213 



The " Rio S. C," of jar 5, is unquestionably the Santa Cruz River. 

 The month of March, 1898, mentioned on the labels in the vials in jar 5 

 found Mr. Hatcher on his second Patagonian expedition, between the 

 mouth of the Santa Cruz River and Lake Buenos Aires. The only other 

 note which I can connect with a definite locality is that found in jar 3, 

 which states that the Liolccnms kingii is "common among basaltic rocks 

 of Patagonia." After leaving the Rio Chico and turning northwards Mr. 

 Hatcher struck these basaltic rocks, and from his " Narrative" (Rep. Prince- 

 ton Univ. Exped. Patagonia, I, 1903, pp. 163-165) it is seen that he camped 

 for some little time in their neighborhood, collecting and exploring. 

 "While encamped at this locality, I climbed one day to the summit of 

 the basaltic platform and travelled for a considerable distance over its 

 deeply fractured and cavernous surface. ... By turning over a number 

 of large detached pieces of lava I procured a number of beetles, crickets, 

 spiders, a centipede and a scorpion, while small black lizards were not 

 wanting^ These were undoubtedly Liolcenuis kingii, and the 15 speci- 

 mens in jar 3 were probably secured at that place. The whole collection 

 submitted to me for report has the appearance of having been made at 

 practically the same time, and is probably all made during the second 

 expedition. The few facts gathered from the labels indicate the country 

 north of Santa Cruz and it is probably legitimate to conclude that most 

 of the specimens were obtained at the salt lakes near Santa Cruz and in 

 the country between and east of the lakes Pueyrredon and Buenos Aires, 

 consequently within a district bounded by latitudes 47° and 48° south, 

 and longitudes 70° and 70° 30' west from Greenwich. 



It seems therefore certain that the collection contains no specimens of 

 the "great variety of small lizards of varying size, shape and color" which 

 Hatcher speaks of on p. 84 [vol. cit.) as appearing about the cliffs and 

 over the pampas near Corriken Aike (on the coast, about 51° 10' south 

 lat). This is particularly unfortunate, as Mr. Barnum Brown, in review- 

 ing the volume in question (in Amer. Natural., xxxvii, Nov., 1903, pp. 

 799-800) makes the statement that " this observation on lizards should 

 have been confined to that part of Patagonia north of the Rio Santa Cruz, 

 for this river forms the natural southern boundary line for lizards as well 

 as of armadillos though a few have been scattered south of it by man." 

 This statement is clearly fallacious as to the southern limits of the lizards. 

 I know that Mr. Hatcher prepared a refutation of it based on his own 



