NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 



117 



and wriggles out of sight with the greatest rapidity, and is qviickly concealed 

 by assistance of its dusky colors. 



Prof. Baird originally noticed the curious disposition of the eggs in this 

 species, which I have verified on a few occasions. As in the Anurous genus 

 Alytes, the eggs on emission are connected by an albuminous thread, which 

 soon contracts and hardens. One of the sexes protects this rosary by 

 wrapping it several times round the body, and remaining concealed in a com- 

 paratively dry spot. How long this guard continues is not known. 



The most eastern specimen I have seen is from Essex Co., Mass. Besides 

 a great number of specimens in the Museum of the Academy, the following 

 form the Smithsonian basis of the examination. 



No. 



2 specimens, Summerville, S. Ca., ? 



Philadelphia, Pa., J. Richard. 

 Anderson, S. Ca., Miss Paine. 

 Summerville, N. Ca., J. McNair. 

 Meadville, Pa., Prof. Williams. 

 Orange, N. J., ? ' 



Columbus, Ohio, Leo Lesquereaux. 

 Clark Co., Va., Dr. Kennerly. 

 Pittsburg, Pa., S. F. Baird.' 

 Mississippi, B. L. C. Wailes. 

 Abbeville, S. Ca., J. B. Barratt, M.D. 

 Salem, N. Ca., J. Liueback, 

 a n u II 



Highland Co., Ohio, ? 



KnoxviUe, Tenn., Prof. J. B. Mitchell. 



Adirondack, N. Y., R. Clark. 



Columbia, Co., Pa., Dr. Henderson. 



Gloucester Va., ? 



Eutaw, Ala., ? 



Dayton, Ala., Edgeworth. 



Georgia, Dr. Jones. 



Brookville, Ind., Dr. R. Raymond. 



Georgia, Dr. Jones. 



Riceboro, Ga., Dr. Jones, var. auriculata. 



Georgia, " " " " 



Georgia, ? " " 



Biloxi, Miss., C. Billman, var. fusci. 



Georgia, Dr. Jones, " " 



DESMOGNATHtrs NIGRA, Green, 



Sal. n., (Sept. 1818), Green, J. A. N. S. i. 352. Triton n., (1842), Holb. 

 Herp. V. 81, Ph. 27. Desmognathus nigra, Baird, Journ. A. N. Sci. i, p. Gray, 

 Catal. Brit. Mus. 1850, p. Pkthodon niger, pars, Hallowell, J. A. N. Sci. 

 Phil. 1858, p. 344. 



This is the most robust Salamander of the eastern regions of our Zoologica 

 district ; it is not so slender as the Gyrinophilus p o r p h y r i t i c u s, but a much 

 stronger animal. As compared with the D. f u s c a, it is much larger, the tail 

 is more compressed and extensively finned, and the color is uniformly different. 

 Besides the characters already pointed out in the table, it differs from D. 

 f u s c a, as follows. The paraspheuoid patches of teeth are prolonged more 

 anteriorly, and approach very near the vomerines in most instances ; they are 

 always prolonged beyond the middle of the orbits ; their prolongation 

 is at the same time narrowed, and in most, the patches are not distinguished 

 at this point. The vomerine series are better distinguished (though not 

 always) being oblique, separate, and not extending beyond nares. The tongue 



1869.] • 



