Hankew, James 1975 Journal Mexicotr - Brownsville > Gomez Farias, Tamaul. 1 May 0800hrs San Fernando the vegetation gets increasingly (cont'd) lushier with tall deciduous broad-leaved species becoming increasingly abundant, especially in streamcourses; although the thorn forest remains intact. From Ciudad Victoria we headed Sou Mex 85 skirting the edge of the Sierra Madre Oriental and traverses an area of former extensive volcanic activity with lava flows and volcanic plugs visible in spots, especially just S of the Tropic of Cancer. Topographic diversity increases steadily as we enter the foothills. At ~35 km S of the turnoff to Hero de Canales we headed W towards the town of Gomez Farias, Tamaulipas where we spend the night. 2 May 0830hrs Yesterday morning left our campsite on Sierra de los Mangos and headed loaded towards Rancho del Ciel, one of the localities frequently mentioned by Paul Martin in his survey of the herps of Gomez Farias. The main road to the Rancho is ~13-15 km long, first descending down from the Sierra de los Mangos to the W to the flats below and then ascends on the slopes further W too. The roads are used by