TAILED BATRACHIANS 249 



or six inches in length ; a giant specimen which I saw in the 

 Florence Museum, and which, for various reasons, I am 

 inclined to believe was an Asiatic specimen, measured over 

 a foot in length. 



The Black Salamander, 5. atra, which lives in the 

 Alps above 2,500 feet, differs from S. maculosa in the 

 absence of spots and in its smaller size. It produces two 

 young only, which are born in the perfect air-breathing 

 condition, having fed in utcro on the egg-yolk of their 

 brothers. 



In Chioglossa, represented by a single species, C. lusi- 

 tanica, of North-Western Spain and Portugal, the tail, 

 which is exceedingly fragile, like that of most lizards, is 

 cylindrical at the base, compressed at the end. The body 

 is very slender ; the limbs are weak. The skin is smooth 

 and shiny, dark brown above, with two broad, reddish- 

 golden bands along the body, continuing on the tail. 



This Salamander, which grows to a length of only five 

 inches, spends its entire life hidden under stones or moss, 

 frequently in the neighbourhood of running water, into 

 which it jumps when dug out of its hiding-place. Unlike 

 most other Urodeles it is as active on land as almost any 

 lizard, while in the water it is as rapid in its movements as 

 the Newts. The larvae are characterized by an exceedingly 

 thin and elongate body, and by a low dorsal crest. 



Molge, the Newts, are all aquatic, at least during the 

 breeding season, when they resort to stagnant pools. In 

 these creatures the tongue is free along the sides, adherent 

 or more or less free behind. The toes are five in number. 

 The tail is compressed and, in the case of most species, 

 is provided with a crest. Many newts exhibit marked 

 sexual dimorphism, as the males frequently differ from the 



