THE SALAMANDER TRIBE 2661 



The Alpine or black salamander (S. atra}, inhabiting the Alps at 



elevations of from three to ten thousand feet, is a smaller animal than 

 mander 



the last, from which it may be at once distinguished by its inferior 

 dimensions. Ranging from the Alps into Styria, Carinthia, and some of the moun- 

 tains of Wiirtemberg and Bavaria, this species inhabits moist woods or the banks of 

 mountain streams, where it is generally found in small family parties, which conceal 

 themselves after the manner of their kind beneath stones and moss, or at the roots 

 of the Alpine rose. Although resembling the spotted salamander in producing liv- 

 ing young, this species differs in that never more than two are born at a time. The 

 most remarkable circumstance connected with the reproduction of the species is, 

 however, that from thirty to forty eggs are found in the oviducts of the females, 

 out of which only one develops in each oviduct, at the cost of the remainder, which 

 form a glutinous mass surrounding the developing egg, and in which the liberated 

 tadpole can afterward freely move. There are also some fifteen unimpregnated eggs 

 in each oviduct, which serve as the food of the newly-hatched tadpole. The tad- 

 pole, which does not attain its full size till after birth, lies in the oviduct of the fe- 

 male with its tail curled, but is capable of moving and even turning round. Its 

 gills are of unusual length, being nearly half as long as the whole body; but before 

 birth these shrivel up and are represented by mere knobs, so that the whole of the 

 tadpole stage is passed through within the maternal body. Tadpoles that have been 

 taken from the oviduct before completing their development will, however, live in 

 water like those of the other species; thus proving that the species originally went 

 through a temporary aquatic existence. Although the two young salamanders are 

 generally born at the same time, occasionally one develops more rapidly than the 

 other, so that there may be an interval of several days between the births of the 

 two. At the pairing seasons these salamanders enter the water for a few hours, 

 but are otherwise purely terrestrial. The third representative of the genus is the 

 Caucasian salamander (S. caucasica) , distinguished from both the Others by the 

 tail being longer than the head and body. In color this species is black, with ir- 

 regular rows of round yellow spots down the back. 



This species {Chioglossa lusitanica) is the sole representative of a 

 ider a " enus distinguished from the last by the tongue being supported on a 

 median protrusile pedicle, and consequently free everywhere except on 

 the front half of the median line. Considerably smaller than the spotted salaman- 

 der, this species is dark brown in color, rather lighter above than below, with two 

 broad reddish-golden bands along the body, separated from one another by a dark 

 line along the middle of the back. It inhabits the northwestern districts of Spain 

 and the whole of Portugal. 



The newts (genus Molge) form an extensive group, of aquatic 

 habits, spread over Europe, Northern Asia, and North America, arid 

 are the only members of the order found within the limits of the British Islands. 

 Having the same number of toes as the salamanders, they are distinguished by 

 the highly-compressed and rudder-like tail, as well as by the frequent presence 

 of a fin-like crest down the middle of the back, which often attains a special 

 development in the males during the breeding season. With the exception of the 



