IOO 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE 



Our Salamander from Glenbrook. 



On page 389 of our magazine for 

 May, we published an announcement 

 of a rare salamander obtained by Mr- 

 Halbert Phillips through the boys' 

 Glenbrook Chapter of The Agassiz As- 

 sociation. This salamander has at- 

 tracted much attention at Arc VdiA. 

 At present it is in good condition. 



OUR GLENBROOK SALAMANDER. 



We are indebted to "Aquatic Life" 

 of Philadelphia, and to Dr. R. W. Shu- 

 feldt of Washington, for our illustra- 

 tion of the spotted salamander. These 

 reptiles seem to be almost unknown to 

 the majority of people, or when seen 

 they are called lizards, but there are no 

 lizards in this vicinity. I am wonder- 

 ing why this is so. Salamanders are 

 far more famous than lizards, but a 

 salamander on sight is called a lizard. 

 This is an interesting question, because 

 in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred 

 the person speaking never saw a lizard. 



In bringing this particular specimen 

 on the trolley car from Stamford, it 

 was shown to a few people who all 

 shuddered as if it were something fear- 

 some, although there is not a single dis- 

 agreeable thing about the little crea- 

 ture. Why is it that all down the ages 

 there have been so many erroneous 

 notions as to such an inoffensive form 

 of animal life? 



"Aquatic Life" from whom we bor- 

 rowed the cut says : 



"In Europe during mediaeval times 

 the salamanders bore an undeserved 

 sinister reputation. Many strange 

 powers were ascribed to the inoffensive 

 little animals. One of the old writers 

 advises anyone bitten by a salamander 

 to betake himself to the 'coffin and 

 winding-sheet,' and adds that the vic- 

 tim needs as many doctors as the sala- 

 mander has spots ! This creature was 

 also thought to be able to withstand 

 fire. Aristotle mentions this myth on 

 hearsay, but Pliny actually tried the 

 experiment and put a salamander into 

 a fire. He remarks with evident sur- 

 prise that it was burnt to a powder! 

 Even in our enlightened country the 

 salamander is thought poisonous by 

 the illiterate- It seems needless to add 

 that all our eastern species are entirely 

 harmless. Only one makes any at- 

 tempt at self defense. The Purple 

 Salamander, says Cope, snaps fiercely 

 but harmlessly and throws its body 

 into contortions in terror." 



Penvenuto Cellini (in his fascinating 

 autobiography) tells in detail of an ex- 

 perience with a salamander in the fire. 



A back translation of a work on 

 natural history — English into German 

 and then German into English — -is 

 responsible for the statement that cer- 

 tain birds "feed upon eggs which the 

 fishermen lay." The original had it 

 "water boatmen." The author is said 

 to have been aroused by the tread of 

 roiiie large animal, leaped from his bed 

 nnd taken down his "back shutters." 

 It was his "breechloaders !" 



You should love your neighbor as yourself. 

 And nature is your neighbor: 



Spontaneous must the feeling be, 

 And not akin to labor! 



— Emma Peirce. 



