STORY OF THE AMPHIBIANS 



CHAPTER I 



WHAT AMPHIBIAN MEANS 



The term Ampliibians is used to designate that 

 great class of the backboned animals, which includes 

 the Frogs, Toads, Salamanders, Modpuppies, etc. 

 Unfortunately there is no good English word for all 

 these, as there is for the fishes and for the birds, or no 

 good Anglicized word as those for the reptiles and for 

 the mammals. 



We are a little apt to confuse amphibian with the 

 amphibious ; but the latter term is used loosely to 

 define any creature capable of staying for indefinite 

 periods either in water or air — such as may have two 

 abiding-places. But an amphibian is a creature hav- 

 ing, usually and normally, as it grows, two forms of 

 life. Thus seals, otters, muskrats, and beavers are 

 often spoken of as amphibious, l)ut they are really 

 mammals ; whil^ nearly all true amphibians, such as 

 frogs, salamanders, etc., have a tadpole state through 

 which they pass in their growth, and in which they 

 are entirely water-hauntino: ; and later thev have an 

 adult stao^e in which thev mav be either land-haunters 

 purely, water-haunters, or amphibious, like those mam- 



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