54 The American Naturalist. [January, 
as I have captured myself. I have often assisted in draining ponds 
and clearing swamps and have secured many specimens in that way. 
I have also been a laborer for many years in a sawmill and often find 
eggs, larvæ, and even adult animals in the cracks and hollows and 
under the bark of logs drawn into the mill from the Wabash. I have 
at various times kept, or attempted to keep almost all the animals 
named here in captivity. 
Siren lacertina (Linn.). Has no local name, being rare. The only 
specimen I have found was taken in midwinter from the hollow of a 
log that was rather rotten and filled with mud. I kept it in a barrel 
partly filled with mud and water. Being neglected, this was frozen 
over and had to be transferred to the cellar. When it finally thawed 
out the Siren appeared in no ways injured, but uttered a whistling hiss 
when touched and ate scraps of meat voraciously. It would eat earth- 
worms and putrid meat, and on one occasion ate a lizard. I once put 
two laths down in the barrel and on the next day found my pet 
squirming about on the cellar floor, demonstrating that it could climb 
a little. It spent most of its time buried in the mud and I rarely saw 
it without first digging it up. In the eight months that I kept it it 
made no perceptible growth, yet it ate readily whenever it was dug up 
and fed. My last experiment was feeding it rancid bacon which it ate 
with a relish, but it died that night and I concluded that the salt had 
killed it. 
Cryptobranchus alleghaniensis (Daudin). Probably rare in this lo- 
cality. The only one that I have seen was 17 inches long, of dark 
slate color. Its bite left severe scratches. 
Necturus maculatus (Raf.). Our commonest salamander. It will 
eat any kind of animal food. I have read of their biting but could. 
never induce them to do so. Their eggs, laid about the middle of 
July, are about the size of peas and are quite transparent, offering the 
best possible material for the study of batrachian embryology. I have 
found them with their gills missing, apparently bitten off, but have 
met with no explanation and have none to offer. 
Amblystoma microstomum (Cope). Common in stagnant pools. A 
gentle little creature that likes to be scratched or stroked with a 
feather, and soon learns to take earthworms from the fingers. Its legs. 
are apparently weak, yet it can climb out of an empty tub or bucket. 
I have seen the larve leave the water. 
Amblystoma tigrinum (Green). Repulsive and bloated in appear- 
ance. Adults of livid blue-black color with back covered with yellow 
spots which blend upon the belly, almost covering the surface. I have 
