Fi. 



MAMMALS OF THE MEXICAN BOUNDARY OF THE 

 UNITED STATES. 



By EoGAB Alexander Mearns. 

 Major and Surgeon, U. S. Army. 



GENERAL INTRODUCTION. 

 ORGANIZATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL BOTTNDARY COMMISSION. 



Under the provisions of the convention of Jul}" 29, 1882, revised 

 by that of February 18, 1889, between the United States and Mexico, 

 jiroviding for an International Boundary Survey to re-locate the exist- 

 ini- frontier line between the two countries west of the Rio Grande, 

 the President of the United States directed the appointment of Lieut. 

 Col. J. W. Barlow, Corps of Engineers; First Lieut. David D. Gail- 

 lard, Corps of Engineers ; and Mr. A. T. Mosman, assistant, United 

 States Coast and Geodetic Survey, members of a commission, who, 

 v;ith corresponding appointees of the Mexican Government, should 

 form an International Boundary Commission to carry into effect the 

 provisions of those conventions. Seiior Don Jacobo Blanco, engineer 

 in chief, and Senores Felipe Valle and Jose Tamborrel, associate 

 engineers, were appointed on the part of Mexico, but they subse- 

 quently withdrew from the Commission and their places were filled 

 by the appointment of Seiiores Valentin Gama and Guillermo B. y 

 Puga. The first meeting, all of the members l)eing present, was held 

 at the Mexican custom-house in Juarez on November 17, 1891, when 

 the International Boundary Commission came into formal existence. 

 Complete organization of the personnel, transportation, and camp 

 equipage of the sm^veying parties was effected subsequently. 



The Mexican and American parties had separate organizations and 

 worked independently in the field, though frequently passing one 

 another or camping in juxtaposition. On taking the field at El Paso, 

 Texas, in February, 1892, the United States party consisted of the 

 three commissioners and about GO civilian employees, with a trans- 

 portation outfit of seven 4-mule baggage wagons, three G-mule water- 

 tank wagons, three 2-mule light spring wagons, one 2-mule buck- 

 hoard, one 4-mule ambulance, 25 mules for packing, 83 mules in all, 

 30639— No. 56—07 m 1 1 



