A new species of Siren. 55 



In Pennant's Arctic Zoology I find the following description 

 of the Siren. " Head and body anguilliform ; eyes minute ; 

 nostrils placed in the side of the nose ; teeth sharp, ranged in 

 transverse rows ; three openings to the gills, with three pin- 

 nated appendages on each side of the covers ; legs in the form 

 of arms, placed high on the breast and not remote from the 

 head ; each foot with four divided toes with a claw to each ; 

 body covered with small scales sunk in a gelatinous matter ; 

 colour dusky, sides dotted in lines with white ; tail compressed 

 and like that of an eel, furnished above and below with a ray- 

 less fin." 



Linnaeus's description of the same animal is as follows : 

 " A double series of teeth in each jaw ; head like that of a 

 lizard; body without scales, naked ; four branchiae are situated 

 on each side, within a fleshy and trilobate operculum, that 

 opens with a narrow aperture ; the two lateral branchiae con- 

 nate with the aperture, the two intermediate ones free ; two 

 orders of acute cartilaginous tubercles surround the internal 

 side of the branchial arches ; toes, four on each foot, furnished 

 with claws ; tail compressed on each side, ancipital." 



A comparison of these two descriptions with one made b\ 

 myself from numerous specimens, all of which by examination 

 were proven to be adult animals, and those of the female sex 

 constantly full of spawn, will show that neither of these could 

 be the Siren lacertina ; so that the gentlemen who wrote them 

 were strangely blinded and misled. S. legs before, four- 

 toed, with small claws; body above black, beneath dusky 

 speckled with yellowish ; or above dusky, beneath paler, 

 speckled every where with yellowish ; eyes small, blueish ; 

 nostrils small, distant, placed as it were in the upper lip ; jaws 

 toothless, but furnished with a hard black skin extending in 

 the lower jaw the whole width of the mouth, in the upper, but 

 a short distance in front ; roof of the mouth, with two large 

 clusters of small teeth ; spiracula three on each side, near 

 the neck, linear, the interior edge serrate, with a fringed tri- 



