Bulletin - United States National Museum - si-pddr - Smithsonian ...

BIRDS OF ARGENTINA, PARAGUAY, URUGUAY, AND CHILE 13
an old estancia, known as El Salto at an elevation of 1,800 meters,
where a number of species of higher zone affinities not found below
were taken. (Pis. 17 and 18.)
At Potrerillos we met W. B. Alexander, engaged at the time in
studying parasites of cactus for introduction into Australia, who
returned with us to Mendoza, March 21, and continued in our company
on the following day, when we went by train to Tunuyan,
Mendoza, 81 kilometers south. At this point a broad cultivated
valley of fertile black loam bordered a small stream, known as the
Kio Tunuyan. AYaste land along the river and extensive marshy
cienagas furnished suitable places for water birds (pis. 18 and 19),
and broad fields where hemp was harvested attracted seed eaters. On
March 24 we drove west by motor for 50 kilometers to the arid slopes
below the mountain foothills, where we found the usual desert
shrubs. On the eastern shore of the Rio Tunuyan was a range of
rolling sand hills from 20 to 60 meters in elevation, with many dry
washes and arroyos covered with thorny shrubs. Weather in gen-
eral had become colder.
March 29 we returned to Mendoza and left by train the following
day, Mr. Peters for Buenos Aires, and I for Tucuman by way of
Villa Mercedes, Rio Quarto, and Cordoba. Mr. Alexander, who had
journeyed ahead, joined me at San Luis. We arrived April 1 in
Tucuman, where Mr. Peters joined me again on April 5. We met
Dr. Miguel Lillo and examined his excellent collections, and also
made the acquaintance of Sehores L. Dinelli and E. Budin. Peters
and I had planned to penetrate here into the higher mountains on
the west, but found that the rainy season, which normally terminated
in March, was still in progress, making mountain trails uncertain
and in places impassable. As the next alternative we went on April
6 to Tapia, Tucuman, a Avell-known collecting spot, which though
only 30 kilometers north of Tucuman, is in the edge of a more arid
belt of lessened rainfall. Tapia was merely a station on the railroad
with a few small houses and no regular accommodation for travelers.
Through courtesy of the station agent, Seiior Maximo Kreutzer, we
were allowed to use a corner of the depot baggage room for work
and sleeping quarters, and remained here until April 14. The region
was one of small knolls and long hills that rose in places into small
cumbres, the whole covered with a low scrub forest in which occa-
sional clearings had been made. (PI. 19.)
Large barrancas and scattered cattle trails made convenient passageways
through the thickets, though ordinarily the growth was
not sufficiently dense to impede passage. The altitude was approximately
700 meters. Bird life was abundant and of gi'eat variety.