294 NINTH ANNUAL REPORT OF 



Other, and the victor devours his antagonist. I cannot, therefore, send 

 you a pair at once, as I promised ; and this is the first and only one I 

 have seen this summer, except one killed and mangled in taking, so 

 thoroughly did my boys wage their war of extermination on them last 

 year. I will watch for more in the spring, if wanted. I have not 

 time now for a more particular description, but will answer in future 

 any questions desired. You are aware of its mischievous destruction 

 of hedges and fruit-trees, as also of clover and all root crops. 



On the habits of a specica of Salamander, ( Amhhj stoma opacu?n.) Bd. 



BY THE REV. CHARLES MANN. 



Gloucester C. H., Virginia. 

 One of my sons requests me to sa}'^ that, in all the cases in which he 

 had found the Salamander with eggs, the latter were under the animals, 

 both male and female being curled up over them. From the number 

 found in this way, there can be little doubt of the eggs having been laid 

 by the animals. This was the case with the specimen sent. The 

 first specimen obtained a year ago with eggs, which he could find no 

 means of sending you, and the one sent, ivejx found in November. He 

 says, he has seen them in the summer with eggs. The localities are 

 the beds of small iwnds in the woods, which in rainy seasons have 

 water in them, but were dr}" when he obtained these. I sent a younger 

 son, the other day, to get other specimens; and he returned saying he 

 found but one pair, and they ran into the water (the late rains having 

 partially filled the pond). These had hatched, and had several young. 

 The nests of theone sent, and of others previously taken, were in a small 

 hollow in the surface of the earth, deeply covered with leaves, and 

 under which were tunnels extending in various directions. In these 

 hollows the animals were, as I have said, curled up over their eggs. 

 M}'' son has been too much otherwise engaged to look for other speci- 

 mens as 3^et, but will search for more and send them on if he succeeds 

 in getting them. The specimens I mentioned in my letter were more 

 interesting, because the eggs contained the embryos, as I supposed,, 

 near the period of hatching. Not knowing how to keep them, I put 

 them in a box of sand ; the old ones escaped, and the eggs dried up. 

 The other varieties were found in a spring branch. We are fully 

 assured they are oviparous; the old opinion of the young taking refuge 

 in the stomach of the mother, may or may not be true. Of the com- 

 mon lizard, we have more than once found the eggs with perfectly 

 formed animals in them, on one occasion so formed, that the young one 

 ran away on the covering of the egg being cut. 



My sons request me to send you some more Salamanders. A 

 large one with one hundred and eight eggs under it was found in 

 December. The young animals were so far matured that they were 

 in motion as soon as released from the covering. Tlie largest specimen 

 was found near a pond, sa}'^ twenty or thirty feet from it, and tunnels, 



