16 THE BLIND FISHES OF MAMMOTH CAVE. 
a week after these, to me, interesting specimens had been sent — 
abroad, and he was as grieved as I was disappointed at my being 
just too late to take advantage of them. ; 
At what time the young are born has never been stated, buts 
judging from such data as I can at present command, I think that — 
it must be during the months of September and October. Speci- — 
mens collected during those months would probably contain em- a 
bryos in various stages of development, the examination of which 
would undoubtedly lead to most interesting results. 
Prof. man has most generously placed in my hands his un- — 
published notes and drawings of the several dissections he has — 
made of Amblyopsis, as well as his specimens and dissections. 
Many of these drawings are reproduced on Plate 1, and will, with 
his notes which I here give, greatly enhance the value of this arti- — 
cle, as his dissections have been made with the utmost care, and — 
with a patience and delicacy that only a master hand attains. It 
will therefore be understood that, in giving credit to Prof. Wyman ~ 
in the following pages, I refer to his unpublished notes, exeept 7 
when the quotation is given from a special work. In quoting his 
description of the eye and ear from “ Silliman’s Journal” I have 
changed the references so as to refer to his drawings reproduced 
on Plate 1, and not to the three cuts given in “Silliman’s Journal,” 
though the figures of the brain and of the otolite were copied from 
- those cuts. 
The largest specimens I have seen of Amblyopsis are several — 
males and females, each from four to four and a half inches in — 
length, which seems to be about as large as the fish grows, though 
Dr. Günther mentions a specimen in the British Museum of five 
inches in length. The largest specimen captured of late years is 
said to have been taken, during the summer of 1871, and sold for 
ten dollars to a person who was so desirous of securing the pre- 
cious morsel that he had it cooked for his supper. The smallest 
specimen I have seen was one and nine-tenths inches in length. 
Tite general shape and character of the fish is best shown by the 
figures on plates 1 and 2. 
“The whole head, above and below, is destitute of scales, the 
direnlar edge covering the space between the upper ends of the 
opercula. The skin covering the middle region of the head is 
