42 



THE AQUARIUM, APRIL, 1893. 



The mode of reproduction differs 

 very materially, too, in the two animals 

 now under comparison. The lizard, 

 deposits oblong eggs, covered with a 

 parchment-like substance, into the soil 

 or sand, from which the young hatches 

 as a perfect little lizard, the counter- 

 part of its parent, only differing in 

 size ; the salamander, however, deposits 

 round eggs, covered with a slimy, gela- 

 tinous matter, like those of the frog, 

 into the water, and from them hatches 

 after a certain period larvae, which do 

 not at all resemble their parents, and 

 which, breathing through gills like 

 fish, spending their first period of life 

 under water. 



There are many genera of salaman- 

 ders,* or tailed batrachians, comprising a 

 great many species, and most of them 

 are natives of America. 



They are all innocent creatures, not 

 poisonous ; only the larger species at- 

 tempting self-defence. All, however, 

 while inhabiting the water for the pur- 

 pose of depositing their spawn or during 

 their aquatic existence, are extremely 

 injurious to young fish, on which they 

 prey. 



Although they all deposit their eggs 

 or spawn daring the spring into the 

 water, each species does it in a dif- 

 ferent manner. The Common Neiot 

 (Diemyctylus viridescens) deposits them 

 singly, fixing them on some aquatic 

 plant by means of the hind feet, the 

 eggs being covered with an agglutinous 

 substance that causes it to adhere firmly 

 to anything it touches. 



The Tiger Salamander (Amblystoma 

 tigrinum) deposits its eggs in clumps 

 of the size of a large hen's ^g^ in ponds. 

 Such a clump contains about twenty to 

 thirty eggs, each one-quarter inch in 

 diameter, and is enveloped in a thick 

 coat of gelatinous matter. 



The Dushy Salamander (Desmog- 

 nathus fusca) spawns in swift running 

 creeks, where it fastens its eggs on the 

 under surface of projecting flat stones 

 in such a manner that each egg hangs 

 like a drop of jelly from the lower sur- 

 face of the stone into the water, where 

 it is kept in constant motion by the 

 current. (See illustration ) 



In the early spring in certain localities 

 such deposits may be found by turning 

 over the stones, which lie hollow and in 

 such positions, that the water under- 

 washes them. Such spawn, if carefully 

 removed (we use a pair of scissors for 

 that purpose, cut each off singly, and 

 let it drop into a small vessel with 

 water), will hatch also in standing 

 water, for instance in a preserve jar, 

 wherein the hatching and the highly 

 interesting transformation to the per- 

 fect animal may be observed. The 

 young, while yet in the egg, develop the 

 gills, which they keep until they leave 

 the water as perfect salamanders. After 

 the young have developed the front 

 legs, which contrary to the development 

 of the frog, appear before the hind legs 

 do, they must be fed on very small pieces 

 of earth worms, or where it is practicable 

 with an abundance of very small water 

 insects. Four weeks after they leave 

 the eggs, they have all their legs, and if 

 it is intended to keep them, a place 

 should be prejjared whereon they can 

 land, for as soon as the gills disappear 

 they are no more able to live under 

 Avater and will drown in it. 



The Fire Salamander (Salamandra 

 maculosa), of Germany, deposits its 

 young alive, or rather the embryo 

 leaves the egg at the same instant it is 

 deposited by the adult into the water. 



Besides the terrestrial salamanders, 

 which is spoken of above, there are also 

 aquatic salamanders. The Siren (Siren 



