18 MEMOIRS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



LURAY CAYE. 



This well-known cave we visited in June, 1880, a year after the cave had been discovered and 

 before the present hotel had been built. It had, however, been opened, and the plank walks and 

 fresh stair-ways, with other improvements, and the beaten tracks, made it unfavorable for collect- 

 ing cave life, which is much less abundaut than in Weyer's Cave. It contains pools of water* and 

 numerous dripping stalactites. The temperature of Diana's Bath is 52° Fahr. ; that of the air 

 is 54° Fahr. 



FAUNA OP LUEAY CAVE. 



Zygonopus whitei Ryder. Not infrequent. 



Cambala annulata (Say). Found dead and encrusted with lime. 



Linyphia weyeri Emerton. Differed only from the type specimens in having rather smaller eyes. 



Anophthalmus tenuis Horn. (Hubbard.) 



NICKAJACK CAYE. 



This cave is situated near that point of the southern boundary of Tennessee where it is joined 

 by the line which separates the States of Georgia and Alabama. In dimensions it rauges with the 

 Mammoth and Wyandotte Caves of Kentucky and Indiana. Many miles of galleries have been 

 explored, and no end has yet been reached. The entrance is iu the northern side of a hill, not far 

 from the road that passes on the south side of the " bottom" of the Tennessee River. It is of much 

 more imposing proportions than that of either of the caves already meutioned. The visitor climbs 

 the hill from the road, following a path which leads along the high bank of a considerable creek. 

 The entrance has a wide floor, which is cut by a gorge at one side, through which the stream just 

 mentioned issues. The roof is flat, and is overhung by vegetation. The following pages record 

 the results of two collecting expeditions made there by Professor Cope. 



Near the mouth of the, cave a salamander of the genus Plethodon was found, which is very 

 peculiar. Instead of the black color, with or without pale bluish dots of the P. glutinosus, the sides 

 and back are thickly spotted with large, yellowish green blotches of irregular form, producing 

 an effect something like the coloration of the Mexican Spelerpes leprosus. The dorsal spots are 

 much larger than the lateral, and are often confluent. On the head they almost exclude the 

 ground color. In addition to this color peculiarity, the feet differ from those of the P. glutinosus 

 in the rudimental character of the inner digit both anteriorly and posteriorly. It is represented 

 by metapodial bones only, having no phalanges. There are thirteen costal folds, one less than iu 

 P. glutinosus, and the vomerine teeth do not extend beyond, or even to, the internal nares. The 

 tail is round and rather slender. Length to axilla, .020; to groin, .051; to end of tail, .122 m . 

 This species is about the size of the P. glutinosus, and, as it is distinct from it, we propose that it 

 be called Plethodon ceneus Cope. 



In company with it was found the smaller P. cinereus. Theu there was a small scorpion; a 

 Polydesmus, and some other centipedes, and a beetle like Scarites, but larger than the common 

 northern species. Snails, as iu other limestone regions, are abundant. 



On entering the mouth of the cave abundant traces of former human habitation are fouud. 

 These consist principally of charcoal and remains of shells — as Ios and Unios, from the Tennessee 

 River, brought there by the Indians as food. The creek was formerly dammed at this point and 

 supplied water to a mill at the mouth of the cave. This was grinding the grain of the neighborhood 

 at the time of the first visit, but had disappeared by the second. Fishing was attempted from this 

 point far into the depths of the cave. The results were chiefly Crustacea, which are described 

 below. No blind fishes were seen or taken, but some fishes of the outer world were caught at a 

 point where a very little light from the mouth was distinguishable. These were the common blob 

 (Potamocottus meridionalis) and sucker (Catostomus teres). 



* One of the distinguishing peculiarities of Lnray Cavern is the existence of these iinipid pools, hundreds of them, 

 varying in size from a diameter of 6 inches to one of 50 feet (Hovey, p. 182). They seem to be wholly uninhabited. 

 (Page 184.) 



