G. GENEEAL NATURAL HISTORY AND ZOOLOGY. 317 



KEPEODUCTIOX IX THE PROTEUS. 



It is not a little remarkable that until recently nothing- 

 was known of the mode of reproduction of the I^roteus angui- 

 neus^ a salamander- like animal living in the subterranean 

 waters of the caves of Carniola, in Austria, and characterized 

 among its congeners by the absence of eyes, and as possess- 

 ing other peculiarities. Quite lately, however, Mr. Franz PI 

 Schulze has published in KoUiker's Zeitschrift an article on 

 this subject, in which he remarks that while at Adelsberg in 

 September last, he heard that the Proteus in possession of 

 the keeper of the caves had laid eggs. He made an exami- 

 nation of the specimens referred to as preserved in alcohol, 

 and then established their character by a dissection of a 

 gravid female, and now reports that the number of eggs laid 

 is between forty and fifty, and that they are about five mil- 

 limeters in diameter. Although the eggs were kept in water 

 after being laid by the female, no special development seems 

 to have taken place, and consequently nothing has yet been 

 ascertained about their interior structure. It is probable, 

 now that attention has been directed to this subject, it will 

 not be long before all the phenomena in regard to the species, 

 which doubtless embrace some interesting peculiarities, will 

 be brought to light. The egg^ as represented in the draw- 

 ings, is about the size of that of a salmon. 36 (7,XXiy., 350. 



HABITS OF THE MEXICAN AXOLOTL. 



In a letter to Mr. Henry Lee, published in Land and Wa- 

 ter^ Captain Mayne Reid suggests some new ideas in regard 

 to the occurrence of the axolotl in the lakes of Mexico. This 

 species resembles the larval or immature condition of many 

 American salamanders, especially those occurring under logs 

 in damp places. Much interest has attached to tliis animal 

 from the fact that, although in its native waters, at the alti- 

 tude of the City of Mexico, it always remains in the larval 

 condition, laying eggs and reproducing its kind, yet when in- 

 dividuals were taken to Paris, many years ago, they threw 

 oft' their gills, and became transformed into true salamanders, 

 living out of the water, and developing a totally difierent and 

 much more brilliant style of coloration,. with other changes 

 in regard to the lungs, the teeth, and entire anatomy. 



