K.Selander, 1953 15 Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico Oct. 4 Alvarez has not heard from the man from Villa Allende as yet. He is to see the governor tomorrow. Says that the weather is much wetter up at Villa Allende - and that when it is cloudy at Tuxtla it is raining at Villa Allende. Villa Allende is said to be in a rain forest region - but only patches of the original vegetation remain. Bus leaves Tuxtla for Villa Allende at 9:0A.M, an hour's ride. Bus returns to Tuxtla at 3:00 P.M. (X) every day. Alvarez gave me a copy of his book on the Forest Animals of Chiapas. The weather we are having now is what Alvarez calls the "norther" - continuous cloudy skies and rain - not really stormy such as it is in the summer, when it is clear in the morning but rains in the afternoon. In the late afternoon it stopped raining for an hour or so and I walked north from the hotel towards the edge of town. Noted 10 or more black vultures sitting in trees near native huts, also many groove-billed ani, 2 Columbigallina sp., 2 green herons near small stream. Oct. 5 Up at 5:30; still dark. Starting to get light shortly after, however. Clouds still present but higher and thinner than yesterday. No rain now. Church bells started ringing at 5:45. Roosters crowing.