INVERTEBRATES OF THE CAVERN 183 



Mites of two species were collected, one of the family 

 Gamasidae (undetermined genus and species), was 

 found on a guano bat, Tadarida mexicana. The other 

 from a cave mouse proved to be a new species of 

 Tralaps, not yet given a name. These mites are almost 

 microscopic lice living on the fur of mammals. 



Tiny white millipedes were abundant in moist places 

 on the cave floor, a few hundred feet west of the west 

 entrance, near a great pile of rocks that cut off all light 

 from Yeitso's Den. Here on damp or moist ground, 

 near a drip from the roof one hundred feet above, they 

 were found crawling slowly over the mud, while in a 

 hole dug two feet deep just below the rocks, dozens 

 were found crawling over the moist walls of clay. Not 

 a quarter of an inch in length, and very slow in their 

 movements, they were only noticed on close scrutiny 

 of the black ground. Generally the millipedes are 

 scavengers on dead or decaying organic matter, and 

 while repulsive in habits and appearance, they serve 

 a useful purpose in the economy of the earth. 



Six specimens of another very rare flea (Sternopsillus 

 texanus Fox), including males and females, were col- 

 lected on the bats and on the guano under the bat roosts 

 in the cave. The type of this species from a guano bat 

 collected at Pecos, Texas, March 21, 1902, has hitherto 

 been the only known specimen of the species, and its 

 host may very probably have come from the Carlsbad 

 Cavern. Two of the fleas were on guano bats caught 

 as they were coming out of the cave, and four were 

 found crawling or hopping in the guano under the bat 

 roosts. One (No. 11,516) was taken from a Myotis 



