214 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
The localities from which Poey secured Lucifuga subterraneus are (1) Cave of 
Cajio, 5.2 miles south of La Guira de Melena (Noda, 1831); (2) cave of the coffee 
plantation La Industria, halfway between Alquizar and Guanimar (Dubroca); (3) 
cave of Ashton, near San Andres (Fabre); (4) cave of the Dragon, on the cattle 
farm San Isidro, near Las Mangas (Fabre); (5) cave on the coffee plantation La 
Concordia, 5.2 miles from Alquizar (Layunta); (6) cave near the beehouse of the 
coffee plantation La Paz (Dubroca); a well near the tavern Frias (Fabre). 
Lucifuga dentatus was secured in Nos. 1, 2, and 3. Those from Nos. 1 and 2 
were said to be without the least vestiges of eyes; those from No 3 with vestiges. 
I visited a number of the caves from which Poey secured his specimens, intending 
to obtain specimens from as many of Poey’s localities as possible, but especially from 
those from which he secured both species of the blind fishes. The towns Guira de 
Melena, Alquizar, San Andres (now Cafias), mentioned by Poey, are successive sta- 
tions along the Western Railroad, and Las Mangas is a town a short distance off the 
railroad beyond Canas. We made our first stop at Alquizar, hoping to be in the 
middle of the cave region. The driver we engaged at Alquizar to take us to La 
Industria showed his independence and originality by taking us over a rough road 
during a half day’s drive parallel to the railroad to Frias and Ashton near the station 
Canas, but we were not inclined to quarrel with him, as we at once secured fishes in 
Ashton, and caves were reported to us as very abundant in the whole region south of 
Canas. Many of these caves were, visited by us, as well as that at Cajio (by Mr. 
Riddle) and others in a widely distant part of the island. Those from which we 
secured specimens 1 propose briefly to describe here. The cave on La Industria we 
did not visit, and in fact, except while we were engaging our volante, no one about 
Alquizar seemed to know the plantation La Industria. It is possible that the name 
has been changed in recent years. Bearing in mind our experiences with the volantc- 
men at Alquizar we made no attempt to find La Concordia, which is also reached 
from Alquizar. 
The “caves” about Canas can best be described after a few words concerning the . 
country in general in which they occur. The territory about Canas is entirely 
drained by underground streams. The streams rising in the lulls and mountains 
forming the watershed between north and south drainage run above ground for a 
distance and then disappear underground. The Ariguanabo River thus runs into a 
bank at San Antonio de los Banos and disappears among fallen rocks. A few yards 
away from its “sumidero” the water can lie seen running in its underground channel 
through an opening in the thin roof of the channel. A few yards farther on a dry 
channel leads down to the water which at the end of the channel disappears among 
fallen rocks. Other rivers disappear in a similar manner. Their waters reappear, 
in part at least, in a number of “ojos,” some near the coast south of San Antonio. 
The region drained by underground streams is flat, with frequently no indications of 
surface streams and their erosion, and extends westward to near San Cristobal, 
where the first permanent surface stream is observed. At Artemisa and Candelaria 
stream beds contained pools of water at the time of our visit. 
From San Cristobal to Dinar del Rio there were many small but perennial 
streams. Eastward from Canas the cave region has an unknown extent. Poey 
limited it to the jurisdiction of Guana jay, but it certainly extends as far east as the 
