Vol. XX, pp. 1-16 February 25, 1907 



PROCEEDINGS 



f)F THE 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



A LIST OF THE MAMMALS, REPTILES AND BATRAj L 1 

 CHIANS OF MONROE COUNTY, INDIANA. ^'^ 



BY W. L. McATEE. 



Monroe County is in the south central part of Indiana. It 

 lies at al)Out the northern end of what may be termed the 

 characteristic cave region of tlie state. The caves, with their 

 accompanying sinkholes, abundant springs and sparkling 

 brooks, are the most prominent features of its surface. The 

 range of elevation is al)Out 250 feet and Bloomington, the 

 county seat, which is neither the highest nor the lowest point, 

 is 745 feet above sea level. Limestones of subcarboniferous age 

 are the dominant outcropping formations, and it is in them that 

 the caves occur. 



The presence of numerous sinkholes, caverns and cave streams 

 modifies the fauna considerably. This influence is most con- 

 •spicuous, it is true, in the lower groups, such as insects and 

 crustaceans, many of which are permanent residents in the 

 caves, l)ut batrachians and mammals, among the higher forms, 

 also make considerable use of these subterranean dwellings. At 

 least one salamander (^Spelerpes macuUcaudus) habitually breeds 

 in caves, while several others often occur about the mouths. 

 Among mammals, bats are noted frequenters of caves, where 

 they are found the year round, sometimes in great numbers. 

 Deer mice have appropriated caverns for habitations, and foxes 

 have dens in them. Coons, minks and weasels visit them fre- 

 quently in search of food, and their tracks are abundant in al- 

 most every cave. In former times black bears resorted to them, 

 leaving traces of occupancy which are visible to-day. 



The principal caves in Monroe County are Saltpetre, six miles 

 southwest of Bloomington; Filer's, five miles southwest; 

 Truitt's, four and three-fourths miles west northwest; and 



1— Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., Vol. XX, 1907. (1) 



