Miscellaneous. 413 



tuated at the summit of the foot. M. d'Orbigny gives the follow- 

 ing characters to the new genus which he establishes : " Animal 

 fixed to the soil by a root taking the form of the solid bodies to 

 which it is attached ; from this root or base proceeds a foot or en- 

 tire body, short, thick, hollow, containing the viscera, and opening 

 into a mouth, which at the same time performs the functions of the 

 anus, placed at the bottom of an irregular cavity, formed by the union 

 of dense dichotomous arms, which are porous, exteriorly convex, and 

 grooved interiorly, divided into numerous articulations, and longi- 

 tudinally armed alternately with small conical very compressed 

 branches." — Annal. Scien. Nat., Feb. 1837. 



THE GIGANTIC JAPANESE SALAMANDER. 



The attention of the continental naturalists appears to have been 

 at length attracted by the fine gigantic salamander, which was dis- 

 covered in Japan by Dr. Siebold, and which has been lying for se- 

 veral years in the yard of the Ley den Museum. Professor Van der 

 Hoeven has lately given some detail of its anatomy, and has shown 

 that it is as nearly allied in osteological character as it is in external 

 appearance to the American genus Menopoma of Harlan, though his 

 detail shows that Prince Charles Bonaparte was quite correct (when 

 he exhibited the drawing of the specimens at the Zoological Society 

 in the latter part of last year) in forming for it a new genus, which 

 he proposed to call Sieboldia, after its discoverer. For according to 

 the account of Van der Hoeven it has no lateral opening on the 

 sides of the neck, which is so distinct in the Menopoma. — J. E. 

 Gray. 



zootoca vivipara. 



Desmarest, Daudin, and the other French naturalists are quite 

 agreed as to this lizard, which is widely dispersed over Europe, being 

 oviparous ; and that the ova are deposited at the foot of walls, &c. 

 exposed to the sun. In Scotland the animal is ovo- viviparous, as I 

 have repeatedly ascertained from the possession of specimens which 

 have bred in my possession in 1827, 1828, and 1829. One of 

 these, caught 19th June 1829, brought forth on the 27th July nine 

 young in all. They were excluded inclosed in membranous sacs. 

 The young were of a blackish brown colour when alive, and very 

 active. For want of proper food they all died within a fortnight. 

 The mother of this brood was fed with flies. After October she 

 only crawled out of her hiding place in mild days and during sun- 

 shine. She was still alive at Christmas lying coiled up among the 

 moss in the box in which she was kept. She died however some 

 time during the severity of the winter. — /. Stork. 



