336 



M. ETHEL COCHRAN. 



feet proportionately small. The anterior foot has three'toes and 

 an inner rudimentary one, while the posterior has four with one 

 inner rudimentary toe. The body is not always lifted from the 

 ground when the creature is walking the tail never. Spelerpes 

 bilineatus seems to be more slender than erythronotus, and^when 

 a dusky salamander (Desmognathus fusca) is about, the dainti- 

 ness of a red-back makes it seem as clumsily built as an Ambly- 

 stoma. 



The most distinguishing feature of this species is the broad 

 dorsal band of color that varies from bright, brownish-red to a 

 sort of pale, dead-leaf brown. Age seems to make no difference 



Red-backs. (Natural size.) (Photographed by Dr. Miller.) 



in the color, nor has any sex differentiation been observed in 

 fall and early spring. Two peculiar specimens found in company 

 with several normal ones, in widely separated spots, were of a 

 bright vermilion red, similar to the color of young Diemyctylus, 

 over all the dorsal surface; the tail alone was a dark brown. It 

 was probably a chance variation, as it seemed normal in every 

 other respect. 



The sides of the body and much of the tail are of a dark gray- 

 brown finely flecked with silver spots that grow more numerous 

 toward the ventral side where the color is almost white, varied 

 with a few darker spots. The ventral part of the tail and legs 

 is much darker than the belly, while the dorsal surface of the 



