REPORT ON THE DEPARTMENT OF REPTILES AND BATRACHIANS 

 IN THE 0. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1892. 



B\ LEONHARD StEJNEGEH, ('untltir. 



The herpetologioal department has every reason to look upon the 

 year 1891-91' with satisfaction. The number of accessions was larger 

 than during any previous year, 1,055 specimens having been entered,* 

 and the material was not interior, nor were the collections of less in- 

 terest. Several very interesting species were added to the collection, 

 some very rare or for the first time, others hitherto undescribed. 

 Among the latter I would call special attention to a very remarkable 

 blind cave salamander, discovered by Mr. F. A. Sampson in the Rock 

 House Cave, Missouri, and described by me as Typhlotriton spelceus. 

 It is related to Desmognathtts, but its eyes; by disuse, have become 

 non-functional; the eyelids closed over and grew together, and now 

 there is only a shallow furrow and a dark spot left to designate ex- 

 ternally the place of the eye. The Proteus, from the grottoes in Kaern- 

 then, Austria, is the only other batrachian hitherto known to be blind 

 in the same way, but it belongs to a different order, and Typhlotriton 

 is so far the only known blind salamander. Of rare species I may 

 mention a fine specimen of Plethodon arneus, from South Pittsburg, 

 Tenu., transmitted by Mr. E. Morton Middleton, and several specimens 

 of another salamander recently described, viz, Spelerpes maculicaudus, 

 received from Dr. (). P. Hay, and from Messrs. Frederick C. Test and 

 George E. Harris. The principal accessions will, however, be referred 

 to further on. 



The work in the department has consisted chiefly of routine work, 

 installing, identifying, caring for, labeling, and reporting upon collec- 

 tions as they have arrived. The curator has attempted some work 

 upon certain groups and upon the geographical distribution of the 

 reptiles in the southwestern portion of the country, but a consistent 

 and steady systematic work has been out of the question. 



At the beginning of the last tiscal year it was decided to take up 

 the many collections received during the last ten years and stored in 



For comparison it may lie mentioned that the number of entries in 1890-'91 was 

 908; in 1889-'90,705; in 1888-'89, 784 ; in 1887-'88,19; in 1886-'87, 138. 



155 



