Amphii;iaxs and Rkptiles of Santa ^Marta 15 



\vas leaving for Santa ]\Iai"ta, and since transportation between these places 

 is very uncertain we could not afford to let the opportunity go by. We 

 embarked in the evening, and at dawn of the second day reached Santa 

 Marta, after a calm and uneventful voyage, just four months from the day 

 we had started. Altogether it was a most successful trip, although many 

 difficulties and delays were experienced which might easily have been 

 avoided had it been possible for us to secure in advance even the most 

 meagre information about the region we intended to visit. While the Indians 

 were extremely shy and distrustful of us, they were honest and inoffensive, 

 never molesting us in any way or coming near our camp during our absence. 



After the trip to the high altitudes some time was spent in revisiting 

 certain localities on the west end of the range to supplement collections. 

 Evidently the next work to be done was a reconnaisance of the east and south 

 sides of the range, and in 1920 the opportunity presented itself. In July 

 and August Dr. Ruthven, F. M. Gaige, and I went to Riohacha from Santa 

 ^larta in a small schooner. 



We worked at Riohacha for ten days, and then, with mules secured 

 from the Indians, made a trip entirely around the Nevada, by way of Fon- 

 seca. San Juan de Cesar, \^alle de Upar, Fundacion, and Cienega. The 

 trip was most successful as a reconnaisance, and even more than this, as 

 detailed work was done on the reptiles and amphibians, and at the same 

 time sufficient data was secured to clear up numerous questions on the 

 nature of the vegetation of the southern slopes and contiguous lowlands 

 and the distribution and origin of the fauna of that side. 



It will be clear from this account that while much has been accom- 

 plished both by previous workers and ourselves, there still remains a vast 

 amount of detailed work to be done. To be worth while, collecting must 

 be carefully done, for the diversity of conditions and the diff'erences in 

 altitude within short distances render collections with general data almost 

 valueless. 



Prci'ious Biological Investigations: The late Mr. H. H. Smith arrived 

 in Santa Marta in May, 1898, with his wife and two other assistants. They 

 made their first headquarters at Bonda, where they remained for a consid- 

 erable period, working the surrounding country for long distances. ^Ir. 

 Smith himself did no collecting of birds or mammals, and probably secured 

 but few reptiles and amphibians, confining his efforts to botanical and ento- 

 mological work, in which he was, I understand, most proficient. All verte- 

 brates collected were taken by native hunters employed by him, so that as 

 a consequence we have a vast collection of skins labelled "Bonda" which 

 in many instances came from places far removed from that village, both 

 in actual distance and especially in altitude. Bonda lies in the valley of 

 the Rio Manzanares, at about 200 feet above sea level, but near the foot- 

 hills of the Horqueta ^Mountain, so that a collector starting out from Bonda 

 might easily reach an altitude of 3,000 feet or more in a day's shooting. 

 For this reason it is impossible to use much of ]\Ir. Smith's data for plot- 

 ting altitudinal distribution of species. This is especially true of his work 



