Notice regardirig a specimen of Siren lacertina. 299 



to twelve hours out of the water ; but it had burrowed in moist 

 earth during most part of that time. In formerly mentioning 

 this circumstance, I stated (vol. iv. p. 353.), that " the bran- 

 chiae were doubtless to a certain degree dried, and thus ob* 

 structed, and it evidently took some time before they could freely 

 perform their accustomed office." In April 1827, I transferred 

 the siren's reservoir to a bark-stove or hot-house. Here it be- 

 came more lively, and ate earth-worms, bansticles, and small 

 minnows more greedily. 



In the summer of ] 828, a drawing of the animal was made 

 by my excellent friend Mr Patrick Syme (now of Dollar Aca- 

 demy), for No. VI. of the " Illustrations of Zoology" of another 

 distinguished friend, Mr James Wilson. On that occasion, the 

 siren was kept for several hours, on different days, in a shallow 

 white assiette, with merely a sufficiency of water to preserve the 

 gills in a moist state ; and the animal repeatedly got upon the 

 table, and even made its way to the floor, but did not at all 

 suffer from this degree of exposure to the atmosphere. — I may 

 remark, in passing, that Mr Syme's drawing is of the size of 

 nature, and forms by far the best representation of the animal 

 which has been published ; and that the copious letter-press by 

 Mr Wilson embraces all the correct information concerning its 

 structure and habits, detailed in the luminous and pleasing style 

 which characterizes all the writings of that naturalist. 



During the years 1829 and 1830, and down to October 1831, 

 the animal continued to inhabit the same reservoir in the hot- 

 house; but we had found an inclined plane (which we at first 

 placed in the reservoir) to be unnecessary, as the siren never 

 shewed any inclination to avail itself of it, and we had discon- 

 tinued the use of mosses, as these rendered the water turbid, 

 particularly when the sphagnum began to decay. I may here 

 notice, however, that the turbid state of the water had enabled 

 us to make one slight observation. The minute particles of de- 

 cayed sphagnum were so exactly of the same specific gravity as 

 the water, that they floated about in every possible direction ; and 

 during sunshine, when the siren was lying perfectly quiescent 

 at the bottom, gentle currents were discernible, by means of 

 these particles, constantly flowing from the clefts in the bran- 

 chial apparatus, and occasionally exciting languid motions in the 



