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7/17/50
PETERS

[[underline]]OSTULA MICHOACAN[[/underline]]

THIS LOCALITY WAS REACHED JULY 13, 1950, AFTER A 7 HOUR PACK TRIP FROM LA PLACITA, WHICH IS ABOUT 10 MILES, AS THE CROW FLIES, TO THE WEST. THE TOWN IS ON THE RIO OSTULA AT ABOUT 400+ FEET. IT IS IN A NARROW VALLEY, AND HILLS RISE ON ALL SIDES OF THE TOWN. THE TOWN IS SMALL, AND SUPPLIES ARE NON-EXISTENT. WE GOT PLENTY OF FOOD, HOWEVER, DUE TO BRAND'S INTRODUCTORY LETTERS. THE PEOPLE WERE FRIENDLY, AND WE HAD NO DIFFICULTIES AT ALL.
THE FIRST GOOD HEAVY RAIN OF THE YEAR FELL ON THIS VALLEY THE AFTERNOON OF THE 14[[underlined superscript]]TH[[/underlined superscript]]. IT RAINED VERY HARD THAT AFTER-NOON, STOPPED FOR A WHILE IN THE EVENING, AND THEN POURED LITERALLY BUCKETS ALL THE FIRST HALF OF THE NIGHT. THIS STORM BROUGHT OUT MANY FROGS, AND SEVERAL SPECIES CAN HAVE THEIR BREEDING SEASON FOR 1950 IN THIS VALLEY DATED JULY 14-15, 1950. THE WATER FROM THE RAIN FILLED THE STREETS, [[STRIKEOUT]] DITCHES AND FIELDS OF THE TOWN, AND FLOWED VERY FAST. IT WAS INCHES DEEP ALL OVER, THE TOWN. I GOT DIAGLENA, SMILISCA, BUFO AS A RESULT, BEFORE I GOT COMPLETELY SOAKED, STORER FOUND A CHORUS OF HYLA IN THE MTS. THE NEXT DAY WHICH WAS UNDOUBTEDLY A RESULT ALSO OF THE RAIN. I FOUND FOAM NESTS THE SAME DAY IN A POOL FORMED BY [[STRIKEOUT]] SPRINGS VERY NEAR THE RIVER, WITH EGGS IN THEM WHICH HAD NOT STARTED TO DEVELOP. [[underline]]LEPTODACTYLUS[[/underline]] WAS ALSO IN THIS POOL, AND WERE POSSIBLY THE FOAMERS, ALTIMA RECENTLY TRANSFORMED FROGS OF THIS GENUS WERE COLLECTED AT THE SAME PLACE. THE FOAM NEST WAS ABOUT AS BIG AS MY FIST, AND WAS PLACED IN THE WEEDS [[STRIKEOUT]] RIGHT ON THE EDGE OF THE WATER. THE FOAM WAS THICK AND VISCOUS, AND FELT MUCH LIKE MARSHMALLOW TOPPING FOR ICE CREAM. THERE WERE MANY AIR BUBBLES TRAPPED THROUGHOUT IT, AND THESE BUBBLES WERE VERY HARD TO BREAK. THE EGGS WERE IN PRETTY MUCH OF A MASS IN THE CENTER OF THE FOAM.
THE VALLEY OF OSTULA IS QUITE WELL WATERED, WITH MANY SPRINGS IN THE LIMESTONE AND GRANITE HILLS WHICH ARE COVERED WITH A VERY VERDANT VEGETATION. DECIDUOUS TREES AND