186 



THE SIREN. 



The gills of the Proteus are very apparent, and of a reddish color, on account of the 

 blood that circulates through them. I have often witnessed this phenomena by means of 

 the ingenious arrangement invented by Dr. Beale, by which the creature was held firmly 

 in its place while a stream of water was kept constantly flowing through the tube in which 

 it was confined. The blood discs of this animal are of extraordinary size ; so large, indeed, 

 that th^y can be distinguished with a common pocket magnifier, even while passing through 

 the vessels. Some of the blood corpuscles of the specimen described above, are now in my 

 possession, and, together with those of the lepidosiren, form a singular contrast to the blood 

 corpuscles of man, the former exceeding the latter in dimensions as an ostrich egg exceeds 

 that of a pigeon. 



The color of the Proteus is pale faded flesh tint, with a wash of gray. The eyes are quite 

 useless, and are hidden beneath the skin, those organs being needless in the dark recesses 

 where the Proteus lives. Its length is about a foot. What are the natural habits of this 

 strange animal, what is its food, of what nature is its development, and what is its use, are a 

 series of problems at present unanswered. By some writers it has been thought to be merely 



PROTKUS. Proteus anguineui. 



the larval state of some large Batrachian at present unknown; but the anatomical investiga- 

 tions that have been made into its structure seem to confirm the idea that it is a perfect being, 

 and one of those species which carry the gills throughout their whole existence. 



IN the NECTURTJS, the head is much broader and flatter and the tail shorter than in the 

 preceding species. This animal belongs to the same family as the proteus, but is a native of 

 America, being found in the Mississippi and several of the lakes. It is rather a large animal, 

 attaining, when adult, a length of two or three feet, and being of a thick and sturdy make. 

 The gills of this creature are large and well tufted, and the limbs are furnished with four toes 

 on each foot, but without claws. 



The general color of this creature is olive-brown above, dotted with black, and with a 

 black streak from the nostril through the eye, and along each side to the tail. Below it 

 is blackish -brown with olive spots. 



OTJE last example of the Batrachians is the curious SIREN, or MTTD-EEL, as it is sometimes 

 called, on account of its elongated eel-like form and its mud-loving habits. 



