180 THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 
salamanders emerge from the eggs with traces of external gills, 
which are soon absorbed. 
The Water Newt, Diemyctylus viridescens Rafinesque (Fig. 
14), is of medium size. The body is rather stout; the tail very 
ae flat and fin-like. Dark olive or green above, on which 
Newt. are scattered numerous small black dots; on each side 
of the back is a row of small round spots of brilliant 
vermilion or brick red and bordered with narrow rings of black. 
The abdomen and lower sides of the body are pale yellow, which 
— eet I 
= 
FIG. 14. THE WATER NEWT 
From specimen in Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 
meets in abrupt contrast the olive of the upper surface; this 
pale color is thickly covered with small black dots. On the head 
the line of meeting of the dark and light colors is slightly below 
the center of the eye. 
The tail is very thin and at all times shows traces of fin-like 
edges, this character being particularly noticeable with the males 
during the autumn and the spring. Compared with the size of 
the body the limbs are large and well developed. Male speci- 
mens may be distinguished from the females by the large 
and stocky appearance of the hind limb, the lower joint of 
which is flattened and very wide, and in appearance quite out of 
