OBSERVATIONS ON TYPHLOMOLGE RATHBUNI. 91 



tory. Pebbles and a pocket-knife dropped into the water near 

 the animal did not change its behavior; we have not found that 

 the Typhlomolge as Normann claims possesses a specially high 

 sensitivity towards disturbances of the water. Once stirred up 

 the animals immediately swim towards the walls, and if they 

 cannot find cover immediately, they swim along the wall toward 

 the surface pushing out their snouts above the surface. 



Before I was acquainted well enough with the general situa- 

 tion in the localities in question and before I had other facts 

 indicating a possible connection between Beaver Cave and the 

 Purgatory Creek, the occurrence of the Typhlomolge in the 

 Beaver Cave well was puzzling, since it seemed to be difficult to 

 explain how they could have been transferred to the well. In an 

 anatomical study performed on Typhlomolge rathbuni, E. T. 

 Emmerson points out the close relationship existing between 

 Typhlomolge and Eurycea (Spelerpes}, in particular Eurycea 

 rubra and suggests that Typhlomolge may be the larva of an 

 unknown species of the genus Eurycea. The writer of this article 

 has a large number of larvae of Eurycea rubra under observation 

 and finds that in certain habits (feeding and especially the push- 

 ing out of the snout above the water when aroused) a remarkable 

 resemblance exists between Typhlomolge and Eurycea rubra, a 

 resemblance which was not observed by the writer in larvae of the 

 many other species of salamander closely watched in the labora- 

 tory. Concerning, however, the assumption that Typhlomolge 

 is the larva of some species of Eurycea, this meets with one diffi- 

 culty if it should mean that this species is still in existence. 

 Ezell's Cave and especially Beaver Cave were closely searched 

 for the presence of other salamanders. None were found in 

 Ezell's Cave. In Beaver Cave, however, Mr. Campbell found 

 about 20 specimens all belonging to the species Plethodon gluti- 

 nosus; this is the only salamander which we could detect in these 

 and other caves of the area around San Marcos. In view of this 

 fact it appears that the suggestion as to whether or not Typhlo- 

 molge is the larva of a species represented at the present time 

 also by metamorphosed specimens would be hardly more than 

 speculation. It is, however, certain that it would be of the 



