AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES. Vo 
istic of springs and well-heads. The stones about some cold 
woodland spring are its special delight, and it is seldom one 
fails to find one or more in such places. Cope aptly states that 
“here, beneath stones, it may be always found, occupying, if pos- 
sible, the fissure from which the limpid water rises, and display- 
ing its beautiful hues through the transparent medium with the 
brilliancy of a strange exotic, rather than the pallor of a dweller 
in the chilly depths and dark recesses of a cave.’ When swim- 
ming they move with some activity, soon resting, and not being 
so restless as some of our other species. They undulate their 
tails from side to side and press the limbs to the sides of the body. 
They feed largely on insects and are perfectly harmless, seldom 
attempting to bite. Near Trenton Dr. Abbott says it is common 
about well-heads and is associated with Spelerpes bislineatus. He 
believes it is able to produce a slight peeping note though Cope 
thought this impossible on account of the structure of its throat. 
The usual specific denomination ruber cannot be set aside for this 
animal as it is not reasonably certain that the Siren operculata 
of Beauvois, which has priority, is the larval stage. Should it 
prove identical, however, the species must be known as Spelerpes 
operculatus (Beauvois). 
Salamandra rubra Harlan, Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., V, 
pt. 2, 1827, p. 332.—Holbrook, N. Am. Herp., IV, 1840, p. 123, 
Piv27 (ref. infers). 
Pseudotriton ruber Abbott, Geol. N. J., 1868, p. 803. 
Spelerpes ruber Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1869 
(May), p. 107 (ref. infers) —Abbott, Nat. Rambles, 1885, p. 
477.—Cope, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 34, 1889, p. 172, fig. 43, 
Pls. 92 fig. 2, 29 & 30 figs. 1-5, 31 figs. 1-5, 32 figs. 1-3, 35 figs. 
7-10, 40 figs. I-2, 45 fig. 6, and 48 fig. 16—Sherwood, Proc. 
Linn. Soc. N. Y., 1894-95, No. 7, p. 30.—Stone, Am. Nat., XL, 
1906, p. 162. 
Spelerpes ruber ruber Cope, |. c., p. 181. 
? Siren operculata Beauvois, I'r. Amer. Philos. Soc. Phila., IV, 
£709, p. 81, Pifig. 3. 3 
Salamandra maculata Green, Journ, Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 
I, pt. 2, 1818, p. 350.—Harlan, Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 
V, pt. 2, 1827, p. 331.—Harlan, Med. Phys. Res., 1835, p. 96. 
