THE SALAMANDER TRIBE 



2659 



and yellow coloration, The head is depressed and nearly as broad as long; while 

 the stout body is likewise somewhat depressed, without any crest along the middle 

 of the back; and the short toes are devoid of any connecting webs. The smooth and 

 shining skin is covered on the upper parts with pores, from which exudes a viscid 

 and acrid secretion, having decidedly poisonous properties. The yellow markings on 

 the head, back, and tail are arranged in two longitudinal series, broken up into more 

 or less irregularly-shaped patches. The species is an inhabitant of Central and South- 

 ern Europe, Algeria, and Syria; and is the one which from time immemorial has been 

 dreaded, not only on account of its undoubtedly poisonous properties, but likewise 

 owing to the extraordinary superstition that if thrown on a fire it would not be 

 consumed. Frequenting moist and shady spots, either in the mountains among 

 rocks, or in valleys and forests, the salamander passes the daytime in a kind of 

 torpid condition, only issuing forth from its hiding places among stones or roots of 



SPOTTED SALAMANDER. 

 (Natural size.) 



trees either during rainy weather or after nightfall; its skin being quickly dried up 

 if exposed to the direct rays of the sun. Its movements on land are slow and 

 slugglish, its gait being a crawl with a marked lateral movement; but in water the 

 creature swims strongly, mainly by the aid of its tail. Although frequently found 

 in the neighborhood of its fellows, this salamander can scarcely be termed a sociable 

 creature; and it is only during the breeding season that the two sexes live in com- 

 pany. From the slowness of its own movements, it is only slow-moving creatures 

 such as snails, worms, and beetles that the salamander can capture for its food; al- 

 though it is .stated to occasionally kill small vertebrates. Generally a large quanti- 

 ty of food is consumed, after which there is a long fast, sometimes lasting for as 

 much as a month. During the pairing season, which is in April or May, both sexes 

 betake themselves to the water, when the females collect the spawu deposited by 

 the males. Although the young are usually born alive, it occasionally happens 



