430 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [Vol. VU. 



Fauna of the Maaimotii Cave. — Interesting additions to 

 our knowledge of the fauna of the Mammotli Cave have recently 

 been made by Mr. F. W. Putnam, of Salem, U. S., who, as a 

 special assistant on the Kentucky State Geological Survey, of 

 which Prof. N. S. Shaler is the director, had great facilities ex- 

 tended by the proprietors of the cave, arid he made a most 

 thorough examination of its fauna, especially in relation to the 

 aquatic animals. Mr. Putnam passed tm d lys in the cave, and 

 by various contrivances succeeded in obtaining large collections. 

 He was particularly fortunate in c itching five specimens of a 

 fish of which onl3^ one small individual had heretofore been 

 known, and that was obtained several years ago from a well in 

 Lebanon, Tennessee. This fish, wliich Mr. Putnam had pre- 

 viously described from the Lebanon specimen under the name 

 of Chologaster Agassizi, is very difierent in its habits from the 

 blind fishes of the cave and other subterranean streams, and is 

 of a dark colour. It lives principally on the bottom, and is ex- 

 ceedingly quick in its motions. It belongs to the same family 

 as the two species of blind fishes found in the cave. He also 

 obtained fine specimens of ibur species of fishes that were in 

 every respect identical with those of the Green River, showing 

 that the river fish do at times enter the dark waters of the cave, 

 and when once there apparently thrive as well as the regular in- 

 habitants. A large number of the white blind fishes were also 

 procured from the Mammoth Cave, and from other subterranean 

 iitreams. In one stream the blind fishes were found in such a 

 position as to show that they could go into daylight if they 

 chose, while the fact of finding the Chologaster in the waters of 

 the Mammoth Cave, where all is utter darkness, shows that ani- 

 mals with eyes flourish there, and is another proof that colour 

 is not dependent on light. Mr. Putnam found the same array 

 of facts in regard to the crawfish of the Cave, one species being 

 white and blind, while another species had large black eyes, and 

 was of various shades of a brown colour. A number of living 

 specimens of all the above-mentioned inhabitants of the waters 

 of the Cave were successfully brought to Masschusetts after hav- 

 ing been kept in daylight for several weeks, proving that all the 

 blind Cave animals do not die on being exposed to light as has 

 been stated. — Nature. 



