266 MANTON COPELAND 



curred only twice, and an explanation of the exceptional be- 

 havior of C may probably be found in the following observation. 

 Before the bag was bitten in the second experiment, the animal 

 nosed it, and then, directing its snout downward, expelled 

 water from the mouth ; a fact noticed by the movement of the 

 sand on the bottom of the aquarium. It then turned to the 

 bag and attempted to seize it. Tests with carmine showed that 

 an animal with its nostrils covered draws in and expels a small 

 amount of water through the mouth. In view of these and 

 subsequent observations, it seems quite likely, therefore, that 

 in the two instances recorded material emanating from the 

 meat was taken into the mouth in considerable quantity, and 

 reaching the nasal chambers by way of the internal nares, 

 stimulated the olfactory receptors. 



The celloidin caps were removed after the experiment 'last 

 described, and on the following morning the three newts were 

 tested for an hour as previously. Both bags were nosed several 

 times by B but neither was bitten. A, on one occasion, snapped 

 at the baited bag after nosing it, and another time failed to do 

 so. The cheese cloth bag was nosed but not seized. C nosed 

 the baited bag carefully 4 times, and snapped at it in each 

 instance. Once a hasty nosing of the bag was not followed by 

 the biting reaction. This experiment was rendered somewhat 

 unsatisfactory on account of A and C shedding their skins, an 

 operation which always interferes with feeding. Five hours 

 later, when the skins had been cast and the nasal organs given 

 a longer time, for recovery from the effects of non-use, the 

 animals were again tested for an hour. The reactions of all 

 were much the same so they need not be described individually. 

 The cheese cloth bag which was nosed 21 times w T as not bitten 

 once, whereas the baited bag, nosed 17 times, was snapped at 

 56 times. In but a single instance was the nosing of the bag 

 containing meat unsucceeded by the seizing reaction (when the 

 response was a nosing of the sand beneath the bag) ; in short, 

 the newts had regained their normal ability to sense concealed 

 food. 



Results in accord with those set forth above were obtained 

 by another method. As Reese showed, Diemyctylus usually 

 responds to an extract of raw beef by snapping at it directly 

 or at the sand upon which it settles. By means of a pipette 



