6o8 The American Naturalist. [July. 
partly in and partly out of the water, one or more salamanders 
could often be found. In such situations they could obtain suit- 
able food, and at night go forth to deposit their eggs. A little 
later, in the first days of April, they had left these situations, and 
one could be found only occasionally and away from the water. 
Later, none of either species could be found anywhere. The 
summer seems thus to be spent away from the water, burrowing 
about in the earth. Specimens of microstomuni kept in the aqua- 
rium appeared, as warm weather came on, to be driven by an in- 
tense desire to leave the water. Occasionally one would swim 
about as if frantic ; and so many were found dead that they were 
at length transferred into a box partially filled with earth. In 
this they remained quiet, at least during the daytime. The Am- 
blystomas seem to be able to endure a good deal of drought, if 
necessary. A gentleman informed me that he had seen a speci- 
men of the tiger salamander crawling about in a cornfield on a 
hot day in midsummer. On the other hand, this species seems to 
be capable of living all summer in the water. 
During the winter, no doubt, many of these Amblystomas hide 
away under sticks and stones, and in the earth away from the 
water. I believe, however, that most of them betake themselves 
to the vicinity of the ponds, and remain either close about their 
borders or in them. I have several times received examples of 
both A. microstomuni and A. tigrinum that had been taken in 
January and the early part of February from under the ice of 
ponds where boys were skating. On one occasion some of these 
were put into a tank of water ; and this having frozen, they re- 
mained under the ice two or three days without injury. Some of 
these same specimens, which species I do not know, laid eggs on 
January 15. 
Early in April of the present year, about thirty specimens of 
the small-mouthed salamader and eight or ten of the spotted sala- 
mander were put into a dry-goods box partly filled with earth. 
In order to separate the two species, a piece of bagging was 
tacked across the box. The box stood at least fourteen inches, 
and the bagging a foot, above the dirt. Every now and then a 
spotted fellow would be found on the wrong side of the wall. 
