sters, had each suspensory pedicel
distinct from the others. The surface of the eggs was lightly moist, but
did not glisten with water, and each egg was completely free of the
others. The outer coat of jelly of the fresh eggs measured about 6.4 by
5.7 mm. as they hung suspended; sizes were uniform and no egg was
notably smaller or larger than the others.

We attempted to keep eggs artificially, but mold destroyed them after 12
days. We had difficulty keeping them wet without inundating them, for
the climate at Las Cruces, New Mexico, where we kept the eggs, is
exceedingly dry in summer. Until death, embryos were active and
responsive to disturbances around them. This was at a time when the limb
buds could not be detected and when the external gills were evident only
under close scrutiny.

Two times we found adult female salamanders in the chambers with the egg
clusters. The other two egg clutches seemingly had no attendant adult,
but our method of going through a log was such that we could easily have
alarmed any attendant animal well before we found the eggs, allowing
time for the adult to move away from the eggs. We presume that
incubation, so-called, in _A. hardii_ is similar to that found in other
plethodontids (see, for example, Gordon, 1952:683). Our findings on the
conditions of the stomachs of these attendant adults have been outlined
above ("Food and Foraging"). Our limited data suggest that only females
are found in chambers with eggs.

Summary

The montane relict plethodontid _Aneides hardii_ was studied in the
field and laboratory in 1956-1958. Food items detected in a small sample
of stomachs are listed tabularly. Two roundworms were found to
parasitize the guts of the salamanders; the parasitism looks to be
benign. Subterranean winter inactivity is thought to be an integral part
of the salamanders' lives, and is suggested in part by the life cycles
of the worms. Summer activity appears to occur at the ground surface in
logs and talus, and underground; the latter site is suggested by certain
ratios obtained in the samples, showing adults to outnumber young and
males to outnumber females. The season for egg deposition seems to be in
July and August. Clutch-size is lower than for any other plethodontid on
record. "Incubation" of eggs apparently parallels that characteristic of
other plethodontids.

Literature Cited

Bishop, S. C.
1947. Handbook of salamanders. Ithaca, Comstock. xiv + 555 pp.