28 SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 



The Governor of Cordoba sent us into the mountains of his 

 province, where we found among other things the International Postal 

 Convention, at that time making a tour of the country. The zoo at 

 Cordoba, though small, is excellent, and we were presented with a 

 number of specimens which we brought back to Buenos Aires on the 

 train with us. 



Two residents of Buenos Aires, Senor Picardo and Senor Antelo, 

 motored us to their nutria farm, Laguna Colis, south of Buenos Aires, 

 where we saw great flocks of flamingos, black-necked swans, coscoroba 

 geese, and other waterfowl as well as the nutrias kept for breeding 

 there. Mr. Roosmalen, the manager of the estancia, presented us 

 with breeding pairs of these interesting animals. They have had young 

 since arriving in Washington. 



At La Plata our old friend Dr. C. A. Marelli greeted us, and we 

 spent some time in the beautiful zoo there, incidentally obtaining 

 some rare birds and a pair of hurones or grisons. 



Our last trip, as guests of the National Parks of the Argentine, 

 took us to Nahuel Huapi, at the base of the Andes. Here in a beautiful 

 lake is Victoria Island, where wild life is being introduced as well as 

 preserved. Guanacos were running about, and there was a flock of 

 black-necked swans on a little lake on the island. The huimil, the 

 interesting deer of the Argentine, is becoming very scarce, but a 

 serious attempt is being made to preserve it. European wild boar, 

 introduced in the vicinity some years ago, have become a nuisance. 



The two oldest North American families in the Argentine, the 

 Joneses and the Newberys, both have ranches in Patagonia. These 

 families were really the pioneers of this part of Argentina. We visited 

 both estancias and were received with the greatest hospitality and 

 friendship. 



Through exchange, gifts, and a few purchases our collection soon 

 was as great as we thought we could care for on the return trip. 

 Specimens came in from all quarters. Tom Davis, son of the Consul 

 General, made it his job to get for us a fine collection of turtles. A 

 police inspector whom we met casually on the train going to Patagonia 

 had rheas waiting for us on the railroad station platform at the little 

 town of Patagonas when we passed through there coming back. 

 Natalio Botana, of the newspaper La Critica, and his son presented 

 us with a fine series of two species of tinamou, as well as some small 

 mammals. The zoos of Buenos Aires, La Plata, and Cordoba all 

 helped. The last evening before sailing Senor Jose Cinaghi, a local 

 animal dealer, called to say good-bye. He mentioned the fact that 

 I had not bought anything from him. I explained that I had 41 



