2)6 SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 



For the first 2 weeks I was content to work in the vicinity of 

 camp and of the village. Several small lagoons offered variety in the 

 way of water birds, and the thickets seemed to have a never-ending 

 supply of unusual species. Then with mules I began to travel farther 

 afield along narrow trails, where the crossings of the arroyos often 

 seemed bottomless in sticky mud. It was always pleasant in the cool 

 air of early morning to ride out this way, watching from the elevation 

 of the saddle the small birds in the trailside bushes, observing the 

 spiraling flocks of great hawks in migration northward, and hearing 

 on every hand the harsh calls of dozens of chachalacas. 



At the Arroyo Corredor we found a large tract of swampy wood- 

 land, in some sections clear of undergrowth, where curious warblers 

 and tanagers and other unusual species abounded. The Arroyo 

 Teponaguasapan with its dense jungle without trails offered a decided 

 contrast, while at Para Madera the low-lying land was more open, 

 leading to marshy savannas beyond. 



At the end of March rains fell less frequently, the sticky mud 

 disappeared from the trails, and the cold winds of the Norteros blew 

 only occasionally. The midday sun became hot and oppressive. Various 

 kinds of native birds that had been common lessened in number, and 

 I had the impression that they had withdrawn from this lowland area 

 toward the mountains, while others seemed to come to take their places. 



Our daily life was filled completely with absorbing tasks with 

 little outside interruption. In this isolated region there was no tele- 

 graph or telephone nearer than 8 hours' ride, and mail arrived at 

 infrequent intervals when a launch from one of the stores in the 

 village brought supplies from Tlacotalpan. In the evening we usually 

 gathered at sundown to rest for an hour to talk and watch the fading 

 light on the mountains, and to listen to the bird and animal voices 

 about us. Mingled with these there was often the sound of the distant 

 singing and music of dances in the village, and on occasion little 

 orchestras passing on the trail to San Juan stopped to visit and to 

 play for us. 



By the middle of April I had a fairly representative collection of 

 this interesting region that will give definite information regarding 

 its varied bird life. The data are especially important in giving de- 

 tails of distribution of variable forms and information on the always 

 fascinating subject of the movements of our northern migrants. 



Our work continued until the last possible moment, and we all 

 felt regret when on April 15 the last of our luggage was placed on 

 the pack mules, and we ourselves mounted to ride down to take the 

 launch at La Boca. 



