69 

 while others were not as dependent as they had domestic animals (e.g., pigs, chickens, turkeys, and 

 cattle) to supplement their diet. As a result of these differences, there likely were several types of 

 hunters and hunting outings at X-Hazil Sur, that when quantified, would not be independent or 

 normally distributed. These differences among individuals, however, were not important here as the 

 research focus was on the ejido as a whole and the patterns exhibited by those hunters. 



The assumptions of data normality, independence, and equal variance were avoided by using 

 the nonparametric, Kruskal-Wallis test when comparing groups of hunters or game species, instead of 

 the more-rigorous, parametric ANOVA test. Given that it was not necessary to meet these assumptions 

 in order to make the various comparisons, the Kruskal-Wallis procedure could test for differences 

 under the circumstances at X-Hazil Sur. 



Results 

 Composition and Characteristics of the Harvest 



Number of species and individuals . A total of 584 game animals were reported taken by 

 hunters at X-Hazil Sur during 17 months (June 1989-October 1990; Table 3-1). Mammals comprised 

 66% (n = 385 individuals) of the reported total and birds 34% (n = 199). No reptiles, amphibians, or 

 insects were collected by hunters for personal consumption, except that honey was consumed when 

 encountered in the forest. A small number of fish (Cichlasoma urophthalmus [Perciformes, Cichlidae]) 

 were taken by hunters during April-June of each year, but these data were not included here. This total 

 also does not include animals collected by local residents for other reasons, harmful or distasteful 

 animals that were killed and abandoned, or game species found dead on the road (except for three 

 instances of fresh game that was consumed by hunters). 



Eight mammalian and four avian taxa were taken for subsistence purposes. The coati (Nasua 

 nasua [Procyonidae]; n = 167 individuals) was the most frequently taken mammal, followed by the 

 pocket gopher (n = 53) and the paca (n = 47), while the plain chachalaca (n = 167) was the most 

 frequently taken bird (Table 3-1). 



