EIGHTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT 85 



americanus) , but due examination failed to show characters 

 worthy of giving this creature even a subspecific title. 



A new feature in the Reptile House collection is the exhibit 

 showing our various batrachians, arranged collectively. We have 

 of late given much more attention to the frogs, toads and sala- 

 manders, and a considerable number of new cages and small 

 tanks have been installed. We note that our visitors are par- 

 ticularly interested in these small creatures, when attractively 

 labelled, although the labelling proposition with these diminu- 

 tive cases and tanks has been rather a puzzle. Among the ad- 

 ditions to this collection is the mountain toad of the Eastern 

 states, the big California toad, the striped frog, (Rana virga- 

 tipes), and many species of the American salamanders, both 

 aquatic and terrestrial. 



We have received terrestrial forms of the axolotl, so that 

 our exhibition of this interesting species now shows both 

 phases. Among the examples of the aquatic axolotls are both 

 the black and albino forms. The Old World batrachians are 

 now quite elaborately represented. Among them are: the Jap- 

 anese giant salamander, the blind salamander or proteus from 

 the Adelsburg Cave in Austria; the European salamander, the 

 ribbed newt, the marbled newt, the Australian newt and the 

 brilliantly marked fire newt of Japan. There is also a good 

 series of European frogs and toads. While adding to the series 

 of batrachians we are now preparing large shallow tanks for 

 the better exhibition of the more strictly aquatic frogs of both 

 Europe and America. In elaborating the series of batrachians 

 Keepers Toomey and Deckert have done remarkably good col- 

 lecting work in Westchester County. 



CENSUS OF REPTILES OF THE ZOOLOGICAL PARK. 



January 1, 1914. 



Species. Specimens. 



Chelonia 39 247 



Crocodilia 7 42 



Lacertilia 34 217 



Ophidia 61 339 



Batrachians 36 241 



Total 177 1,086 



