184 



ANIMAL COLORATION. 



Mr. Poultou thinks that the frequent recurrence of this type 

 of coloration may be particularly advantageous, as it assists 

 enemies of the animals so coloured in learning easily to avoid 

 them. This is a very interesting suggestion, and seems highly 

 probable. 



Mr. Howes * relates an experience in keeping certain am- 

 phibians, wiiich is decidedly confirmatory of the poisonous 

 nature of the salamander. A small frog (Xenovus 



Fig. -Jl. Sa'aniander. 



which is interesting as being in some points a connecting 

 link between the tailed and tailless amphibians (frogs and 

 newts in the broad sense), was kept in a vessel with a 

 salamander ; one morning both creatures were found appar- 

 ently dead, the frog covered with a quantity of its own 

 secretion and the salamander showing evidence that it had 

 been trying to swallow the former ; the frog ultimately 

 recovered, but the salamander was quite dead. 



This tragical history seems to show that both creatures 



* Zoologist, Aug. 1891. 



