VOL. XX, PP. 1-16 FEBRUARY 25, 1907 PROCEEDINGS OF THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON A LIST OF THE MAMMALS, REPTILES AND BATRA-CHIANS OF MONROE COUNTY, INDIANA. BY W. L. McATEE. Monroe County is in the south central part of Indiana. It lies at about the northern end of what may be termed the characteristic cave region of the state. The caves, with their accompanying sinkholes, abundant springs and sparkling brooks, are the most prominent features of its surface. The range of elevation is about 250 feet and Bloomington, the county seat, which is neither the highest nor the lowest point, is 745 feet above sea level . Limestones of subcarboniferous age are the dominant outcropping formations, and it is in them that the caves occur. The presence of numerous sinkholes, caverns and cave streams modifies the fauna considerably. This influence is most con spicuous, it is true, in the lower groups, such as insects and crustaceans, many of which are permanent residents in the caves, but batrachians and mammals, among the higher forms, also make considerable use of these subterranean dwellings. At least one salamander (Spelcrpes macidicaudus) habitually breeds in caves, while several others often occur about the mouths. Among mammals, bats are noted frequenters of caves, where they are found the year round, sometimes in great numbers. Deer mice have appropriated caverns for habitations, and foxes have dens in them. Coons, minks and weasels visit them fre quently in search of food, and their tracks are abundant in al most every cave. In former times black bears resorted to them, leaving traces of occupancy which are visible to-day. The principal caves in Monroe County are Saltpetre, six miles southwest of Bloomington; Eller's, five miles southwest; Truitt's, four and three-fourths miles west northwest; and 1 PROC. BIOL. Soc. WASH., VOL. XX, 1907. (1)
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