145 



It is quite common in the Eastern States, and has been studied a good deal 

 by the naturalists there, to whom it has presented some interesting prob- 

 lems. It is interesting because of its position near the top of the order Uro- 

 lela. Salamandrina perspicHlata, of Europe, is very closely related to it ; but 

 since the digits of the hinder foot of that species are reduced to four, it 

 must be regarded as standing higher than ours, which has five digits. 



The newt has given the systematists a good deal of trouble, a fact result- 

 ing, as in so many other cases, from a lack of knowledge regarding its life- 

 history. Formerly there were believed to be two entirely distinct species, 

 the one living on the land and being of a red color, the other living entirely 

 in the water and being of a general greenish color. Rafinesque, who first 

 described these animals, placed the two forms under different subgenera. 

 Baird saw that they must be included under the same genus, but regarded 

 them as distinct species. Dr. Hallowell seems to have been the first to re- 

 gard them as belonging to the same species. For a long time, in fact until 

 very recently, they have been regarded as being varieties of the same spe- 

 cies. A few observers have, within a few years, claimed to have seen the 

 red land form transform into the aquatic stage, and some have thought that 

 they saw indications of a change of the aquatic animal into the terrestrial 

 form. Hence, it was supposed that the differences were due to seasonal 

 changes. It was supposed that the animal went into the water to deposit 

 its eggs, took on the characters peculiar to that state, and afterwards, when 

 the breeding season was over, again sought the land and became red again. 



At the 1891 meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of 

 Science, at Washington, Prof. Gage, of Cornell University, read a paper 

 which gave the results of his studies on this animal for some years. His con- 

 clusions, in brief, are that all the modifications that the animal undergoes 

 belong simply to different stages in the development of one and the same 

 individual. The eggs are laid in the water and hatched in due time. For 

 some time the young have gills, like any other well regulated Urodele. 

 When a length of about an inch and a half has been attained, they leave 

 the water, having lost their gills, and betake themselves to the land. They 

 then assume a red color, varying from orange to blood-red, the tail becomes 

 round and the skin usually rough. Here they appear to remain until they 

 are about three years old, hiding under rocks and logs, and appearing after 

 rains. When the season of sexual maturity arrives, they go again into the 

 water, and, according to Gage's opinion, remain there the remainder of 

 their lives, unless the pools dry up or food becomes scarce. Prof. Gage's 



10 



