2 PATAGONIAN EXPEDITIONS: ZOOLOGY. 



Mr. Peterson's collection^ numbers about 370 specimens, of which 134 

 — 70 large mammals, and 64 small mammals — were taken along the 

 coast, at different points from the Rio Gallegos to the Rio Coy, from May 

 13 to November 29, of which the greater part were collected in July and 

 August, and are thus in midwinter pelage. They include a large series 

 of the Guanaco and Gray Fox, and about 64 Rodents of various species. 

 The remaining, and by far the larger part of the collection (about 240 

 specimens), was made on the headwaters of the Rio Chico de Santa Cruz, 

 at the eastern base of and in the Cordilleras, including a few from the 

 Pacific Slope. These embrace a small series of the Chilian Deer or Gua- 

 mul, the rest being Rodents, which number nearly 20 species. The Cor- 

 dilleras collection was made January 31 to March 6, and hence consists 

 of midsummer to early fall specimens, and they are thus not satisfactorily 

 comparable with the coast series. The coast series, however, fortunately 

 contains, in several instances, summer and winter specimens of the same 

 species, showing the quite different pelages of the two seasons. The 

 Peterson collection was purchased by Dr. C. Hart Merriam for the Bio- 

 logical Survey, and now forms part of the collection of the U. S. National 

 Museum. 



Mr. Colburn's collection consists of about 200 specimens, of which 18, 

 representing five species, were taken at Punta Arenas during the first 

 week in January; and 10 were taken near Port Desire (labelled "Mount 

 Observation"), February 21-23, ^^^ represent three species. Then fol- 

 lowed a continuous journey of some 250 miles up the Rio Chico de Santa 

 Cruz, to the mouth of the Rio Belgrado, during which no specimens of 

 mammals appear to have been collected, and only a few (about 25) were 

 taken on the way north from the Rio Belgrado to the vicinity of Lake 

 Buenos Aires.^ During the month of April work was prosecuted con- 



' While Mr. Peterson was charged with the collecting of the recent material, it should be noted 

 that Mr. Hatcher at all times cooperated with him in the work, and that many of the specimens 

 were collected by him. (See Hatcher, Narrative of the Expedition, pp. 62, 65, 138, 144.) 



" Most of the specimens are labelled " Arroyo Eche" (= Aike) a locality not indicated on 

 maps nor even mentioned in Mr. Hatcher's Narrative of the expedition, but which he has kindly 

 located for me as covering the Basalt Canons and Swan Lake localities, the dates on the labels 

 indicating to which they refer. While Mr. Colburn's specimens are well made, and are accom- 

 panied by measurements, indication of se.x and date of collecting, he informs me that he " took 

 no field notes." Besides this, about one third of the skulls are unavailable for study, owing 

 either to their actual loss or to the loss of their labels, or to illegibility of the labels due to 

 soiling from lack of care in the presei-vation of the skulls. 



