ON THE PROTEUS ANGUINUS. Q.^ 



founded*, consists in tlie "ills common to both. Mr. Schvelber amphibia in 

 liovvever observes, that the pills of the proteus differ essen- _.„'' 

 tially from those of larvre and fishes by their red colour, 

 ovvinj^ to the blood which it causes to circulate through th'em 

 more or less abundantly at pleasure. 



As to the organs of respiration, Mr. Schreiber asserts, that, 

 having dissected a great number of laryic of aquatic lizards, 

 he never found the leasit analogy between them and the pro- 

 teus. He considers it as more allied to the siren lacertina, Moreanalo- ^ 

 both having gills and lungs; though Camper indeed denies fealacertinar 

 the existence of limgs in the siren. It is true Mr. Schreiber 

 observes, the siren differs in having but two feet; a short j)j|^gj.gj^j,g5^ 

 head without any beak ; a small, pointed mouth ; eyes very 

 apparent, and eyebrows ; and the lungs, though equally Lun«Ts. 

 formed of one single membrane, without any cellular divi- 

 sions, running along both sides of the body, and exhibiting 

 neither the various turns nor the very remarkable bladders 

 found in those of the proteus. 



That Mr. Schreiber found it difficult to discover and as- tac: ^^ . 



Difficult to as- 

 certain all the parts of t!ie organization of specimens, that certain its 



had been kept a long time in spirits, is not at all surprising. P^*^^^" 



He observed ovaries however, and even something that had Apparently 



the form of a uterus: but he lays no great stress on these ovaries and a 

 T 1 X ^ o uterus, 



slight appearances. 



I hope however he will be able to decide the question, by 

 means of the d'ssection of some individuals, which I have 

 found means to send him alive. The basins at Vir had fur- Only from 3 to 

 nished only three, four, or five in a year since 1798 : but on 5 found in a 

 the 26th of December, 1804, on the thawing of a deep snow, ^'^^* 

 fourteen w^ere brought rae at once. These are at present at Once U. 

 Vienna, some of them uiider the e^'e of Mr. Schreiber, and 

 others in u subterraneous canal, under circumstances the 



• The question appears at present decided, and the protei are consi- 

 dered as a di'-tinct genus Beside the ang'unus, which had already been 

 figured aad described, but of the mannep and habits of which Baron Zois 

 gives here new and interesting particulars, and the tritonius of Schranck, 

 Humboldt and EonpJand observed another species in Peru, the skin and 

 limbs of which perfectly resemble those of the salamander. 



most 



