with rather tall trees and not a great deal of under¬ 
growth, although what there is in mostly thorny,Most of 
the trees in the hills were still hare of leaves, 
although fresh ne?/ leaves v;ere just coming out on ksc' 
many of them in«the lower portion. 
East of the town,heyond the large cleared area the 
hush was unbroken and the land flat from river hack to ti 
the low hills which more or less parallel it. On this 
flat the trees v/ere mostly larger and more luxuriant, 
hut mostly of the acacia family,and were at this time 
mostly in fresh leaf. Eirds were,on the whole,rather 
abundant,and of an unusual number of species for so 
dry a region 91 species were collected and 25 others 
observed and identified with certainty. Of the 91 specie 
taken,26 were new for the year and 17. new for Bolivia. 
I was dissapointed at not finding more aquatic forms 
along the river,hut there was practically nothing. One t 
Tern was seen hut not secured. Cormorants were rather 
plentiful,a^few Spotted Sandpipers,one Little Green 
^Heron. The river was very muddy,mostly with swift curren 
and rapids and the shores with many boulders and much 
soft mud. The hanks are high and precipituous on both 
sides,higer on south,and there are no low humid flood pi 
plains anywhere near Villa Montes. The presence hoi 
many troops there for the past five years and much 
discharge of fire-arms and artillery has doubtless 
driven awa;/ many species from the immediate vivinity 
which otherwise- would have been there . 
Laubmann records species from Villa Montes which 
I failed to find there,while I took species which 
hedoes not record from that Place,but some of them 
from other localities in the Chaco or the Dept.of Sta. 
Cruz. There were two showers of rain during the time 
we spent there (13 days),with several very cool and clou 
days with temperature dowrn to 60 and 63 P. On the other 
hand there were three da 3 rs of terrific heat,with a max. 
Temp.of 109 in the shade. I was told by the Doctor in 
charge of the Hospital and by Maj.Weeks that a couple 
of iiscys weeks previously the temp was 116 in the shade 
for several days, I was reliably informed that the 
type of vegetation around Villa Montes is practically 
the same as further out in the Chaco,though probably 
somewhat more luxuriant than further out,that is taller 
trees and -less thorny undergrowth. j_ 
Villa Montes to Gamiri 
The highway from Villa Montes north to Gamiri 
(standard Oil wells and refinery) follows along the 
base of the foothills,more or less,crossing occasional 
