Observations on the Genus Salamandra. 231 



all the other animals of this family — it only confirms us in the 

 opinion that anatomy alone can teach us the true affinities and 

 relations of organized beings. 



Naturalists are familiar with the dispute between the French 

 and Italian zootomists concerning the Siren lacertina : the 

 latter declaring it as their full conviction that this animal is 

 the larva of some reptile, the genus of which is as yet un- 

 known, and which will differ from its larva in not possessing 

 gills, he. Whilst Cuvier maintains that the Siren is a per- 

 fect animal, permanently amphibious. 



I must refer to the works of these respective naturalists, 

 as above quoted, where this subject is treated of in detail ; 

 and shall briefly remark, that the arguments of the Italian 

 naturalists tending to prove the Siren a larva, from its ana- 

 tomical structure, are shown to be groundless by a compari- 

 son of the internal fabric of that animal with the anatomy of 

 the Salamandra Alleghaniensis, as above detailed. 



With all due deference and respect for those very able ana- 

 tomists above quoted, I may be permitted to correct an im- 

 portant error into which they have both fallen in the anatomi- 

 cal descriptions of the larva? of the Salamandra and of the 

 Siren. 



I quote the words of the Italian naturalists : — " All zoolo- 

 gists, including Mr. Cuvier, now admit that frogs first receive 

 air into the mouth through the nostrils only, and from thence 

 force it into the lungs by an action resembling deglutition. 

 But neither the Proteus nor the Siren are able to respire in 

 this manner ; for the nostrils in the former do not open into 

 the mouth, but beneath the upper lip ; and in the Siren, M. 

 Cuvier observes, ' les narines, simplement creusees sur les 

 cotes du museau, ne penetrent point dans la bouclie.' Neither 

 do these animals respire in the manner of serpents, as they are 

 destitute of (true) ribs." And further on, the authors conti- 

 nue — " Between the Siren and these larva? (Salamandra) there 

 is the greatest resemblance, not only in regard to the branchial 



