54S PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM VOL. 95 
GuatEeMALA: U.S.N.M. Nos. 117399-117406, Piedras Negras, 
Petén, June 24, 1939 to June 2, 1939. 
By far the greatest number of these were found in banana trunks, 
seeking refuge in the axils of the thick, loose outer sheaths of the 
trunk. The red-trunked banana seems to be the only type that 
affords such protection. Other varieties for the most part have thin, 
dry sheaths, which adhere closely to the trunk and afford no protec- 
tion for animals. 
All the specimens from Piedras Negras, and the single one from 
Palenque, were found in bromelias. Although our observations are 
not extensive enough to warrant a definite statement, it appears 
that B. rufescens does not occur in the large, vase-shaped bromelias 
but is restricted to the large varieties having many leaves curving 
directly out from the base. Near Palenque we looked in many of 
the vase-shaped bromelias but found only Bolttoglossa mexicana in 
them; the few bromelias found of the other type contained no B. 
mexicana and but one B. rufescens. This seeming preference for 
the spread-leaf variety may depend more truly upon preference for 
more humid conditions, since that type of bromelia is generally con- 
fined to the vicinity of streams and to moist hillsides, while the urn- 
shaped variety is found on trees wherever they occur on the plains. 
The plains trees, furthermore, are almost entirely oaks, since these 
are the only ones which seem to resist the ravages of grass fires that 
burn unhindered during the dry seasons. Along the streams and on 
moist hillsides, other types of trees are predominant. 
In the region of Potrero Viejo, Veracruz, the predominant large 
bromelia is the spread-leaf type, and in these we found B. rufescens 
almost exclusively, with rare examples of Bolitoglossa platydactyla, 
Potrero Viejo is situated, it may be remarked, in a very humid area. 
It is further noteworthy that this humidity does not restrict the abun- 
dance of B. platydactyla, even though specimens are rarely found in 
bromelias. They are very common in banana plants. Twenty or 
thirty miles to the east toward the coast a dry plains region is en- 
countered. Trees are low and scattered, or occur in small groups. 
Here the vase-shaped bromelia is predominant, and in them we have 
never found B. rufescens, although B. platydactyla is abundant. In 
this region also the edges of streams and hillsides are more heavily 
wooded, and in such places the spread-leaf bromelia occurs. Very 
likely these harbor B. rufescens, but unfortunately we did not search 
in many of these plants, since this labor was very poorly repaid in 
general quality and quantity of specimens, at least compared with 
the results of work on the urn-shaped variety. 
From our observations it is accordingly impossible to state whether 
humidity is the controlling factor in the apparent restriction of B. 
rufescens to the spread-leaf bromelia, or whether the construction of 
