Amphibians and Rei'Tii.ks of Santa Maria ii 



de Cataca, a fishing village built on piles over the water at the mouth of 

 the Aracataca River. We secured quarters in a comparatively new house 

 and made ourselves fairly comfortable, although the odor of dr^'ing fish 

 was very disagreeable for several days until we became somewhat ac- 

 customed to it. It was a pretty sight to see the little fleet of fishing canoes 

 sail away at dawn in search of the great schools of Lisa. When luck was 

 good the canoes would return between three and four o'clock, loaded to 

 the gunwales, and then there was pandemonium let loose in the village. 

 Singing, shouting, whistling, and laughing, while everyone big enough to 

 wield a knife joined in the task of cleaning them for drying, this operation 

 tisually consuming half of the night. When the catch was very great the 

 entire night was spent in festivities. 



Practically all shooting in this vicinity was done from a canoe along 

 the shores of the lagoon or up the streams entering into it, for at this sea- 

 son of the year the shores of the Cienega are inundated for a long distance 

 inland. Herons, terns, and ducks were abundant, while the forests were 

 teeming with parrots and monkeys. Occasionally a Manatee was seen at 

 the mouth of the river, but none were secured. October 3 to 14, was spent 

 here and many aquatic forms were secured. Little or no work was done 

 between the return from Cienega Grande and our departure for the Sierra 

 Nevada in January of the following year. 



On January 10, with jVIrs. Carriker and one Colombian assistant, I 

 left Santa Alarta for the north coast, going by land, with pack mules, as 

 far as Don Diego. The trail was a trail in name only and was almost 

 impassable. Three and a half days were consumed in reaching Don Diego. 

 The trail passes through Mamatoco and Bonda, and thence along the road 

 to Don Amo for a short distance, when it turns off to the left and crosses 

 over into the valley of the Jordan, passing through Calabaso and Cacagua- 

 lito, thence down the Jordan to the Rio Piedras, then down the Rio Piedras 

 to the sea. From here the open beach is followed to Don Diego, except 

 where detours inland are necessary to cross the rivers ]\Iendaguaca, Gua- 

 chaca, and Buritaca. 



We arrived at Don Diego at dusk, after thirteen hours in the saddle; 

 tired, hungry, and covered with bites of black flies, sand-flies, mosquitoes, 

 and wood ticks, the latter being still attached in myriads to our persons. 

 A hurried rub-down with kerosene removed the ticks, after which a delight- 

 ful sea bath somewhat restored our flagging spirits, and a good supper pro- 

 vided by our genial host, ]\lon. Barbier, completed the restoration. 



The whole northeast coast and the hills up to 3,000 feet or more con- 

 tain more insect pests than any place I know of in Colombia, excepting 

 some portions of the Atrato basin, and Don Diego proved no exception to 

 the general condition. The attacks of flies and mosquitoes can be checked 

 to a certain extent by the use of "dopes" or nets, but there seems to be no 

 effective relief from the ticks, which cannot be entirely avoided and are, 

 in many places, a serious drawback to the best field work. 



Don Diego is a French plantation which at the time of our visit was 



