Hasf.man : l''xrF:nninx lo Cfntral South Amf.kica. 327 



But Eigeninann's \ie\v is niori' .il)sm(l and l'aiill\' in (•\|)laiiiiiii; the 

 absence of hliiul fishes in ihe nimicroiis caM-s ot ca^ltrii (irecne 

 County, Indiana, which are draiiud 1)\ ilic wist fork of W'hiti- Ri\er. 

 At any rate the hliiul cat-fish and the crali with reduced eyes found 

 in Brazil must cither have been stopped up in the entrance of the 

 cave when the overhanging roof fell, or have been washed in acciden- 

 tally through some sink-hole and have been unable to get out. I 

 do not doubt that other forms have likewise been either washed in 

 or stopped up in the same cave, but they have either found their 

 way out, or have been exterminated. If the cat-fish voluntarily 

 entered the cave it is surprising that it has not also entered the caves 

 of Sete Lagoas, Minas, Santa Abreu, Bahia, and the numerous other 

 caves of the Iporanga district. In the upper course of the Paraguay 

 I caught Rhamdia qiielen and Characidium fasciatum in the entrance 

 of a cave; but where there is and always has been an easy exit, they 

 find their way out and no blind forms are found. 



The condition of the blind crab and blind fish leads one to infer 

 that they have not been relatively long dwellers in that cave. The 

 age of this part of Brazil leads one to infer that these caves are very 

 old, but until erosion had played its part they would not have been 

 accessible to aquatic forms. 



The idea that cave forms originally lived under rocks, or avoided 

 light and were thus prepared for cave-life does not find any support 

 in the Brazilian blind fish. The majority of mailed cat-fishes and 

 PygidiidcB are found under cover during the day, while the parent of 

 the blind cat-fish lives as much in the open as any cat-fish, and seems 

 to prefer the grassy margin of the streams. It has very sharp pectoral 

 spines, which inflict painful wounds, and does not need to hide. 



It appears to be nothing more than a rapid specific adaptation 

 that has enabled the Aglea intermedia with reduced eyes and Typhlo- 

 hagrus kronei to be able to exist in tlie cave, while the other forms, 

 which might have entered the ca\e at the same time by accident, have 

 been exterminated. 



should not be capable of colonizing caves. The cal-fishes and Amblyopsidce belong 

 to the latter class. It is surprising thai more cat-fishes have not established themselves 

 in caves." 



It must be evident from the above that it is no surprise to me that this cat-fish 

 is found in the caves. Whether it was carried in by accident or not is of no con- 

 sequence. Its long barbels and the peculiar taste organs of cat-fishes put it among 

 the possible candidates for cave-existence. — C. H. Eigenmann. 



