San Rafael was on the most frequently used route to Chile in those days; more traffic than farther north. An Italian biologist, Pelegrino Strobel also came through San Rafael. No hares or other animals squashed on the road between Mendoza and San Rafael. All agree that this spring has seen more than usual number of electrical storms, rain, and wind. November 23.- Drove with Lagiglia to 25 de Mayo, where he showed us the fort, then continued west on the paved road toward Dique Agua del Toro. This road is paved and goes through lush monte desert with a striking diversity of shrubs, many of them in bloom. We made numerous stops to dash through the scrub looking for tuco diggings, cacti, etc. Old tuco sign, nothing fresh. I saw one mouse but it escaped. Ended up just beyond Cerro Medio on the Loma de Pedernal. Soaring quite low over the road at Cerro Medio was a mixed flock of condors, vultures, and Gerroneutes? (buzzrd eagle). Two dead horses near the road. There was practically no human presence along this route except for a few stray horses and cows. Toward the western end of this transect was a good display of blooming Grindelia chilensis (with larvae in the roots). Saw one flock of about 7 Martineta tinamous crossing the road. The last several kms changes abruptly to Stipa bunchgrass and very few bushes. There has been fire not many years ago, however. We saw three fresh tuco diggings along the road and left traps at them, then set mouse traps in rocky habitat up on Cerro Medio and an adjacent slope. Anita put out 20 traps and I put out 14, a mix of big Sherman, Museum Specials, and steel traps. We both saw lots of guinea pig droppings, and I saw one accumulation of what seemed to be big Buneomys droppings. The plants up on the rocky hill were things like Calceolaria, Neneo, Duraznillo, Ephedra, and Stipa, plants common in the Bartiloche area and totally different from the flora in the deep light soil at the bottom of the hill. But there didn't seem to be any place for a mouse to hide in the flat bunchgrass habitat. This locality is 35 km WNW 25 de Mayo, about 1600 m. Then checked the tuco traps: 2 captures. They look like pale Ctenomys mendocinus. Then drove 10.7 km back toward 25 de Mayo and set traps in monte desert, Anita set 18 traps and I set 22. Very diverse monte habitat, but little sign of mice. (Lagiglia says there are 4 species of Larrea here). No tuco sign. November 24.- Night cold. Started out overcast, but clear in morning. Anita's traps in the monte had 2 Eligmodontia; mine caught nothing. Then went back up the road and ran the traps in the rocky habitat on Cerro Medio. Anita's line had 1 skunk; my line had 2 Phyllotis darwini. No sign of guinea pigs other then the droppings. A long stretch of snowcapped Sierra was clear to the east. Then drove back toward 25 de Mayo. Saw 1 armadillo and a pair