﻿New 
  York 
  State 
  Museum. 
  33 
  

  

  Necturus 
  maculatus 
  in 
  the 
  Hudson 
  River.* 
  

  

  In 
  Prof. 
  Cope's 
  Monograph 
  of 
  North 
  American 
  Batrachia 
  

   ( 
  United 
  States 
  National 
  Museum 
  Bulletin 
  "No. 
  34 
  ), 
  an 
  interesting 
  

   feature 
  of 
  the 
  geographical 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  Mud 
  Puppy, 
  Nec- 
  

   turus 
  maculatus, 
  Raf. 
  — 
  has 
  been 
  overlooked, 
  viz.: 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  

   through 
  the 
  agency 
  of 
  canals 
  the 
  species 
  has 
  been 
  introduced 
  into 
  

   the 
  Hudson 
  River, 
  and 
  has 
  become 
  abundant 
  both 
  in 
  the 
  river 
  

   and 
  its 
  various 
  tributaries. 
  

  

  Prof. 
  Cope 
  gives 
  the 
  habitat 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  " 
  Ranges 
  

   throughout 
  the 
  tributaries 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  lakes 
  and 
  the 
  Mississippi, 
  

   as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  rivers 
  that 
  flow 
  into 
  the 
  G-ulf 
  of 
  Mexico 
  and 
  the 
  

   Atlantic 
  Ocean 
  as 
  far 
  north 
  as 
  the 
  Tar 
  River, 
  North 
  Carolina." 
  

  

  Only 
  one 
  New 
  York 
  locality 
  is 
  cited, 
  Grass 
  River, 
  St. 
  Lawrence 
  

   county. 
  This 
  is 
  a 
  tributary 
  of 
  the 
  St. 
  Lawrence 
  River, 
  and 
  its 
  

   source 
  is 
  not 
  very 
  far 
  distant 
  from 
  the 
  source 
  of 
  the 
  Hudson. 
  

   The 
  only 
  other 
  locality 
  cited 
  which 
  is 
  at 
  all 
  near 
  the 
  Hudson 
  is 
  

   Burlington, 
  Yermont. 
  

  

  This 
  locality 
  also 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  drainage 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  St. 
  Lawrence. 
  

   Both 
  the 
  localities 
  cited 
  are 
  covered 
  by 
  the 
  statement 
  " 
  ranges 
  

   throughout 
  the 
  tributaries 
  of 
  the 
  Great 
  Lakes," 
  but 
  there 
  is 
  

   nothing 
  to 
  indicate 
  that 
  the 
  species 
  inhabits 
  the 
  Hudson 
  and 
  

   tributaries. 
  

  

  DeKay, 
  in 
  1842 
  £ 
  Natural 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  New 
  York), 
  

   predicted 
  that 
  the 
  species 
  would 
  some 
  day 
  be 
  found 
  inhabiting 
  

   the 
  Hudson. 
  DeKay's 
  exact 
  words 
  on 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  

   Mud-Puppy 
  in 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  were 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  " 
  This 
  

   curious 
  and 
  interesting 
  aquatic 
  animal 
  is 
  common 
  in 
  the 
  northern 
  

   and 
  western 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  State. 
  It 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  Lake 
  Champlain, 
  

   and 
  is 
  particularly 
  abundant 
  at 
  the 
  Palls 
  of 
  the 
  Onion 
  River 
  and 
  

   at 
  the 
  outlet 
  of 
  Lake 
  George. 
  It 
  inhabits 
  Lakes 
  Erie, 
  Seneca, 
  

   and 
  the 
  other 
  lakes 
  in 
  the 
  western 
  districts 
  of 
  New 
  York. 
  

   It 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  Erie 
  canal, 
  and 
  will 
  doubtless, 
  ere 
  

   long, 
  be 
  found 
  to 
  have 
  reached 
  the 
  Hudson 
  River." 
  De 
  Kay's 
  

   prediction 
  has 
  come 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  fact. 
  Whether 
  the 
  species 
  came 
  from 
  

   the 
  west 
  through 
  the 
  Erie 
  canal, 
  or 
  from 
  Lake 
  Champlain 
  

   through 
  the 
  Champlain 
  canal, 
  it 
  is 
  now 
  so 
  abundant 
  in 
  the 
  neigh- 
  

   borhood 
  of 
  Albany 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  somewhat 
  of 
  a 
  nuisance. 
  The 
  city 
  

  

  * 
  Reprinted 
  from 
  the 
  American 
  Naturalist. 
  

  

  5 
  

  

  