Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 56.djvu/490

476 and east of the Mississippi. A single specimen of another Typhlichthys has been found north of the Ohio River in a well at Corydon, Indiana. Trogliehthys rosge inhabits the caves west of the Mississippi in Arkansas and Missouri.

—Mr. E. B. Forbes secured a school of Chologaster papilliferns for me, and he wrote: "The little fishes were found under stones at the edges of the spring very close to the bluff, and when disturbed they swam back under the cliff. . . . None were found at any considerable distance from the face of the cliff." I found the Chologaster Agassizii to act similarly in the river Styx, in Mammoth Cave. As soon as my net touched the water they darted in under the ledge of rock at the side of the little pool in which I found them.

Chologaster papilliferus detects its food entirely by the sense of touch. Two which were kept in an aquarium for over a year

{{c|{{fs85|{{sc|Fig.}} 3.—Blind salamander from an artesian well at San Marcos, Texas {Typhlomolge).}}}}

were starved for a few days. They became very nervous, continually swimming along the sides of the aquarium. Asellus was introduced. These, even if quite near, produced no effect if moving in front of the Chologaster. The moment one came in close proximity to the fish from any direction, by a flashlike motion it was seized. None of them were swallowed. The fish became very alert after the introduction of the sowbugs, and when swimming forward would strike at a part of a leaf if it came in contact with the head of the fish. It seemed evident that the eye gave no information of the character of the object. As Asellus was not altogether to their taste, Gammarus was introduced. One of these swimming rapidly toward the chin of the Chologaster from behind and below was instantly seized when it came in contact with the fish. The eye could not have located the Gammarus at all. The action is in very strong contrast to the action of a sunfish, which detects its food by the sight. It is undoubtedly this peculiar