THE OLFACTORY REACTIONS OF THE SPOTTED NEWT, 

 DIEMYCTYLUS VIRIDESCENS (RAFINESOUE) 



MANTON COPELAND 



Bowdoin College 



■- 



Although olfactory reactions have been recognized in fishes 

 by Baglioni, Parker, Sheldon and Copeland, to my knowledge, 

 no conclusive physiological evidence of a sense of smell in am- 

 phibians has yet appeared. In the May-June (191 2) number 

 of this Journal, Reese published an article on food and chemical 

 reactions of the spotted newt {Diemyctylus viridescens), but 

 failed to show reactions unquestionably dependent on olfactory 

 stimulation. I began a study of the sense of smell in this species 

 two years ago, but was unable to complete it until last summer, 

 while occupying a table at the Laboratory of the United States 

 Bureau of Fisheries at Woods Hole, Massachusetts. I wish to 

 express my thanks to Mr. T. E. B. Pope, Director of the labora- 

 tory, for many courtesies received during my stay, and to Mr. 

 P. H. Pope of Manchester, Maine, for his kindness in supplying 

 me with abundant material. 



The spotted newt is especially favorable for experimental 



study as it soon becomes accustomed to life in the aquarium, 



feeding well, and showing no ill effects from confinement. All 



my animals were kept in glass aquaria, with sand spread over 



the bottoms, and were fed from time to time with pieces of 



raw beef, which were offered. to them on the end of a delicate 



silver probe. 



EXPERIMENTS 



As an introduction to the feeding behavior of Diemyctylus, 

 one of my earlier experiments may be described; a series of 

 tests originally planned to throw light on the animal's ability 

 to recognize food. The individual chosen for the tests indicated 

 that it was hungry by seizing and swallowing a piece of raw 

 meat offered it on the tip of a probe. When a ball of white 

 cotton was substituted for the meat, it also was taken into the 

 mouth, but immediately dropped. Another one was seized, 



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