
1134 The American Naturalist. [December, 
species named, and the results of his examination of the specimens 
were published in the AMERICAN NATURALIST, Vol, XXIV., page 967. 
Prof. Cope named the species Gyrinophilus maculicaudus, assigning it 
to this genus because he found the premaxillaries distinct, instead of 
being anchylosed, as they are in Spelerpes. The species is otherwise 
distinguished from Spelerpes longicaudus by having a broader, flatter 
head ; differently disposed vomerine teeth ; by a ground color of ver- 
milion; and by a different arrangement of the black spots. The 
limbs are also longer than those of S. dongicaudus. 
I have had opportunities to examine several specimens, both living 
and alcoholic, of this beautiful species. Some of these have come to 
me from Brookville through the kindness of Messrs. Butler and Quick. 
Two others had been taken in the vicinity of Bloomington, Indiana, by 
Prof. B. W. Evermann, of the State Normal School. After making a 
careful examination of the premaxillaries of several specimens of maculi- 
caudus and comparing them with those of /ongicaudus, I am compelled 
to differ from Prof. Cope as to the generic position of this animal. 
In the case of all the specimens that I have dissected, except one, I 
find the premaxillaries to be consolidated. I have taken the premax- 
illaries out, dried them, and examined them with a sufficiently high 
power of the compound microscope, without perceiving any evidences 
of a suture between them. I can see but slight differences between the 
premaxillaries of it and S. dongicaudus. In Gyrinophilus the premax- 
illaries are easily separated. In the case of the exceptional specimen 
mentioned above, the premaxillaries had been broken by accident just 
a little to one side of the middle line. Had the fracture been exactly 
in the middle line, I should have concluded that in this specimen the 
two bones had not united. This suggests that possibly an accident 
had happened to the specimen examined by Prof. Cope. If, however, 
Prof. Cope’s specimen really had the premaxillaries distinct, while in 
mine they are anchylosed, the genus Gyrinophilus cannot stand. In 
any case, the species will, according to my view, have to bear the 
name Sfelerpes maculicaudus. 
This animal is regarded by those who have observed it in its native 
haunts to be more aquatic in its habits than is S. dongtcaudus. The 
ones that I kept for some time in a small aquarium showed a disposi- 
tion to remain out of the water. They would often climb up on the 
perpendicular glass wall of the aquarium above the water, and rest there 
for a long time. If, when thus adhering to the glass, this was turned 
in a horizontal position, they would continue to stick to the under side 



