RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. 



43 



often presented by well-meaning donors. 

 The importance of tliese remarlvs leads us to 

 quote tliat |)ortion of Mi-. A. O'D. Taylor's 

 report, which embodies tliem. They are 

 wortliN' of note for all local museums where- 

 evercontemplatetl. Tiie report says : " Dur- 

 ing the twelve months under review vari- 

 ous donations have been received, and have 

 been regularly acknowledged in the public 

 newspapers, so that a detailed list of (lonors 

 and contributions need not be recapitulated. 

 Objects have been presented from the vari- 

 ous departments of mineralogy, conchology, 

 botau}-, and zotWogy, while articles of ethno- 

 logical and arcluBological interest have oc- 

 casionall}' made their appearance. Isolated 

 specimens, however, when selected and pre- 

 sented, as they often are, because of their 

 deviation from the normal type, do not — 

 however interesting in their peculiarities — 

 convev the knowledge derivable from com- 

 plete series of specimens which would fairly 

 represent the links of development in groups 

 of organic life, and the various gradations 

 in inorganic structures. Such typical series 

 or sets of collections are still wanted. In 

 order that our collections should become of 

 real value and of practical aid in the stud^^ 

 of natural histor}^ we must have different 

 series of connected and related specimens ; 

 if not completed, at any rate becoming in- 

 telligently shaped towards completion. We 

 must emerge from the rudimentary stage 

 indicated by a random assemblage of curiosi- 

 ties, and aim at procuring representative 

 series illustrative of our local fauna and flora, 

 and of the geological formation and minerals 

 of our neighborhood. Even at the risk of 

 repeating the leading thought behind the sug- 

 gestions of my first report, I take the liberty 

 of urging this essential on the consideration 

 of our members and friends." 



Reptiles and BatracMans of Rhode Isand. 



BY HERMON C. BUMPUS. 



Number XX. 



Plethodon glutinosvs, Baird, {Salamandni 

 glutinosus, Green). The Slimy, or Blue 

 spotted Salamander was originall}' described 

 b^- Professor Green from a specimen cap- 

 tured at Pittsburg, Penn., and later on re- 

 ceived the attention of Dr. Storer, who re- 

 ceived a specimen from Andover, Mass. 



As we have never captured the form in 

 Rhode Island we can do no better than 

 give the description from this latter natural- 

 ist : '' Ltmgth. six inches. Whole up[)er 

 part of the body of a veiy daik l)rown, 

 thickly sprinkled with disiinct light l)lue 

 spots. Sides appearing quite light colored 

 from th(! blue spots having become contin- 

 ent. Al)domen lighter colored than tiie 

 back, exhibiting the spots more numerous 

 and distinct than the back. Head, three- 

 quarters of an inch long; nearly half an inch 

 wide, flattened above. Eyes verv promi- 

 nent ; of a deep black color, widelj- separ- 

 ated from each other. Nostrils rather small. 

 Legs, CO or of the body, and spotted like it. 

 Anterior feet, four-toed ; posterior, five-toed, 

 and unusually long. Tail, length of the 

 body ; much compressed throughout its 

 whole extent, save the extremities, the an- 

 terior of which is circular, the posterior 

 pointed." 



The description given above agrees well 

 with that given by later herpetologists, except 

 that attention has been drawn to the fact 

 that the tail becomes much compressed in 

 alcoholic specimens, giving to it a promi- 

 nent keel above and below. Indeed, so 

 much does alcohol change the form and 

 coloring of these soft bodied animals, that 

 unless one is familiar with the live speci- 

 mens, gross mistakes will occur in the study 

 of those preserved. 



Dr. Holbrook mentions the Blue Spotted 

 as the most abundant salamander of North 

 America, often several individuals being 

 captured under the decaying bark of some 

 prostrate log. With us it is sure'y an un- 

 common animal, and the same may be said 

 of its distribution in Massachusetts. It is 

 not reported from Maine, though Professor 

 Packard assures me he has met with it in 

 Labrador. Farther south and west it is 

 quite abundant, and specimens have been 

 captured in Texas and Wisconsin, showing 

 it to be a well distributed form. Of the 

 animal's breeding habits nothing is known. 



Powder made from the pounded flowers 

 of different species of Pjirethrum is a deadly' 

 poison to the most of insects, while it is in- 

 nocuous to man. It is now being cultivated 

 in enormous quantities in California under 

 the name Bnhach. — Canadian Scienrc 

 Monthly. 



