21 



they occur in masses of from two to a dozen, and even more. This 

 gelatine no doubt serves to protect the eggs and the young. I do not be- 

 lieve that any animal will eat the gelatine. 



Segmentation of the eggs begins immediately, and soon the young 

 salamander may be seen within the gelatine looking like a dark worm. 

 The development of some of the eggs appears to progress more rapidly 

 than that of others. The young escape into the water from the first of 

 April to the tenth. They are then about two-fifths of an inch long, are 

 of a bright olive color, with some squarish blotches along the back. 

 Three little gills stand out on each side of the neck, and on these may 

 be seen rudiments of lateral filaments. The fore-legs are seen as the 

 merest rudiments. I do not think that at this stage they have any 

 mouth. The body is covered with cilia. From the time of hatching 

 there is a club-shaped organ attached just behind each corner of the 

 mouth. These are the "balancers." By means of these the little 

 animal manages to hang fast to the sides of the vessel, or to objects in 

 the water. They are lost before the tadpole becomes an inch long. 



When the larva has become a half inch long, its gills have developed 

 two rows of filaments on each stalk. Through these the blood may be 

 seen circulating. Water enters the mouth through the nostrils and 

 passes out through the gill-slits, thus bathing the gills. 



Larvae two-thirds of an inch in length had their intestines filled with 

 the remains of small animals. These consisted principally of entomos- 

 tracous crustaceans. The stagnant waters where the salamanders lay 

 their eggs swarm with minute animal life, and the tadpoles have sharp 

 appetites and the ability to provide for themselves. Later on they 

 seize on small mollusks and insects. 



When they have become an inch long, they may be seen to come to 

 the surface after air. This happens more and more frequently as the 

 size increases. When they have attained a size of nearly two inches, 

 the gills begin to show signs of undergoing absorption. They seek the 

 surface oftener, and are inclined to float on the water. They will even 

 leave the water if allowed to do so. The time of completing their 

 change into the adult form is about the first of June. The gills are 

 lost ; the tail loses its fin-like border ; the legs have become well devel- 

 oped ; and soon the only difl^erence between the animal and its parents 

 is in size. They betake themselves to the banks, where they are soon 

 concealed among grass roots and earth. 



About the ponds the adults may often be found concealing themselves 

 under sticks and pieces of wood which lie partly in and partly out of the 

 water. Here they can get an abundance of their favorite food, the 

 earthworms. After their eggs have been disposed of, they appear to 

 leave the vicinity of the water, and scatter out, so that they are only oc- 

 casionally found under logs and in the soil. At this period they do not 



