554 PROCEEDINGS OE THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol. xxxv. 



sacrificing that member. They can not endure dust and will die 

 in three or four minutes if dropped on their backs on a dusty floor 

 so that, in turning over, the entire body becomes coated with dust. 

 Indeed, I have found this to be a quicker method of killing them 

 than to drop them in formalin or alcohol. 



The color of different individuals of this species varies greatly. 

 None were noted, however, of the so-called erythronotus variety with 

 the red of the back bordered by parallel lines, but the dorsalis variety 

 with an irregular line of red along the back was almost as common 

 as the ashy-colored individuals. 



On March 26, eight specimens, from 40 to 90 mm. in length, were 

 found in a small cave near the University's property. This cave goes 

 down to a depth of 40 feet or more in an irregular spiral, with pro- 

 jecting benches, but no rooms or lateral passages of large size. It 

 was inhabited by this species, by cave salamanders, and green frogs, 

 as well as bats, earthworms, and insects. Some ashy salamanders 

 Mere found about 25 feet below the surface, from which they were 

 separated by smooth vertical walls, which would have to be scaled 

 by the animals in escaping from the cave. 



These animals show a wide variation in color which it may be 

 worth while to describe in detail, as it seems probable that there 

 they were actually blood relatives. 



The largest specimen of the lot (90 mm. in length) is marked with 

 a dorsal stripe of dull, dark orange, bordered by a line of dull brown 

 which, in places, almost divides the stripe; the orange is diluted 

 with indistinct flecks of gray, the stripe becoming indistinct on tail. 

 Sides light brown, thickly dotted with minute spots of gray. Belly 

 with ground color paler than sides and gray spots larger and more 

 numerous. Head similar to sides, but slightly paler. Fore legs sim- 

 ilar to head, dorsally; hind legs slightly darker. A second specimen 

 is about equal to the first in length, but is more slender. The color 

 is similar, but the dorsal stripe is forked at the occiput, the divisions 

 becoming indistinct, passing through the eye and terminating on the 

 shout. Posteriorly the stripe terminates indistinctly on the base of 

 the tail, the distal portion of the latter being marked with gray. 

 A third individual is more reddish on the back than on the sides, 

 due. however, to a reduction of the gray dots rather than to an in- 

 crease in the amount of red pigment and therefore not forming a 

 clearly defined stripe. Dorsum of tail, except at tip, brighter than 

 thai of back. The smallest individual of this lot, and one of the 

 smallest I have seen of the species (40 mm. in length), also has a 

 dorsal stripe, poorly defined anteriorly, but quite distinct from the 

 middle of the body to near the tip of the tail. 



Four of the specimens from this lot have no dorsal stripe. Three 

 of these have the sides and dorsum of the tail mottled with gray and 



