Pearson - 1996 6 7 November - Bariloche. Morning cool and overcast, then sunny. I was invited up the street to the office of the Public Health people to talk with them about mice. They (Mariani? et al.) were veterinarians or similar, but somewhat knowledgeable about mice. The morning paper had finally reported results of tests on 37 mice caught at Lago Puelo, and 7 of them, all Oligoryzomys longicaudatus, were positive for Hanta Virus. So now colilargos and rosa mosqueta are in the news. Of 68 mice from El Bolson, none were positive (nothing said about what species). A new case of Hanta Virus has been reported from Chile just a few kms from Lago Puelo.. I think I was being manipulated, since they produced a television commentator and photographer while I was there. They are on the spot to do something about the "epidemic" and were using me to demonstrate that they were leaving no stone unturned. They intimated that Dra. Enria's Institute of Virologia in Pergamino is under the wing of the Instituto Malbran, run by anothe Dra., and that there may be a territorial dispute between the two Institutes. Javier Bellati came by and left a reprint of his raptor census, finally in print in the Anales Mus. Hist. Nat Valparaiso 23:63. About 3 p.m. drove out to Laguna de los Juncos, and then to Marful's upper ranchouse above the La Fragua Canyon. The Laguna is not competely full, but it had 50 to 100 Flamingos. The steppe south of the Laguna had a lot of tuco sign, a few Reithrodon droppings. Marful's meadow was very dry. I saw only one set of Reithro burrows, at the bottom of a depression, and one or more sets of tuco digs. I don't remember seeing tucos before out in the meadow. A lot of tuco diggings between the railroad and the road. Many hare droppings, very few Reithrodon droppings. Perhaps the flooding 4? years ago drowned them out and they have not yet recovered. Sunny with scattered clouds. 8 November - Bariloche, sunny, warm. Chehebar came by to talk about Hanta Virus. Parques is putting together a pamphlet modelled on one from the USA and wanted to know whether campers should prepare differently here than in Peromyscus country in the USA. Also, the permit for trapping Octodon in parque Lanin needs more