San Martin de los Corder April 10, 1980 After breakfast it was snowing hard but we set out anyway, hoping to reach a river nearby that we could fish. But the roads were so slushy, and getting worse rapidly, that we turned back and came home. Spent the day writing letters, field notes, and repairing gear. The California quail was introduced on Estancia La Primavera along the Rio Traful by the owner, Pierre de Riviera. Release was made Dec 25, 1945. The population became established and in 35 years has spread up to 100 kilometers, mostly along river valleys. Now I learn from the Fauna Silvestre Officer that there has been a new focus established in the northern end of Neuquen Province, presumably from stock transferred from the Traful area. The quail is not hunted here, and is not thought of as a game bird. We are infested with the abundance of rabbits. They are hard to see during daytime but show up at dusk along the roads, where many are killed by cars. Here become a mainstay for the hawks - the ubiquitous Chimango, the big gray "Aguilucho grande", and Caracaras. At some carcasses you find a gang of 10 to 15 of these three raptors scraping over the remains. We have no guide to mammal so I am uncertain what the rabbit is. It appears intermediate between a Saper and Sylvilegus, but I am told it actually is the European hare, introduced here.