76 



SALAMANDER. 



of which Wellington promptly took advantage. 

 Marmont himself was so severely wounded, that 

 il Clausel took the command, and prevented 

 the total ruin of the army. The French forces 

 retreated to Burgos, and their communication with 

 the body of troops under Joseph Bonaparte, in the 

 centre of Spain, was cut off. 



SALAMANDER (salamandra)-, a genus of rep- 

 i ill's closely allied to the frog, from which it differs 

 in having an elongated body, terminated by a tail, 

 and four feet of equal length. There are no gills in 

 the adult animal, and the tympanum is also want- 

 ing. The jaws are armed with numerous small 

 teeth: and there are two longitudinal rows on the 

 palate. The third eyelid is wanting. Together 

 with the frog, this genus is included under the 

 order batracia, and is easily distinguished from the 

 lizards by having no nails on the toes, a naked skin 

 destitute of scales, and a heart with a single auricle. 

 The young are born in the shape of tadpoles, are 

 provided with gills, and have their tails vertically 

 compressed. The land salamanders inhabit the 

 water only during the tadpole state, or during the 

 time that they are laying their eggs: they are dis- 

 tinguished by a rounded tail. The aquatic species 

 remain during life in water, and are enabled to 

 swim with considerable briskness by means of their 

 compressed tails: sometimes, however, they quit 

 the water at night, and when unable to regain it, 

 have been found in similar situations with the ter- 

 restrial species. They are endowed with an aston- 

 ishing power of reproduction ; and, when mutilated, 

 their limbs, tail, and even their eyes, are restored 

 at the end of two, three or six months, in warm 

 climates, or a longer period in cold ones; and no 

 difference of organization can be discovered on dis- 

 section. They may be suffocated in the same man- 

 ner as frogs, by forcibly holding open the mouth. 



The common salamander of Europe (S. vulgaris) 

 has been celebrated from antiquity for its supposed 

 power of braving the fiery element. It is almost 

 unnecessary to observe that this quality has been 

 attributed to it without the slightest foundation : 

 still the belief is not entirely eradicated among the 

 common people, and the salamander continues to be 

 an object of superstition in the eyes of many. It 

 is a sluggish, clumsy reptile, six or eight inches long, 

 of a blackish colour, with large, irregular, rounded 

 spots of bright yellow. It is found throughout 

 Europe in moist places, under stones or the roots of 

 trees, near the borders of springs, in deep woods, 

 &c., and passes its life under ground, except during 

 rains or at night, when it comes out, but does not 

 wander far from its place of residence. It lives on 

 slugs, insects, worms, &c., and, when met with, 

 seems stupid, and does not appear to shun the 

 presence of man or other animals. The skin ex- 

 udes a mucous and acrid secretion in great abun- 

 dance. It is ovoviviparous. 



It would seem that the United States produce a 

 greater variety of salamanders than any other part 

 of the globe. They are, however, far from being 

 well understood; and probably more remain to be 

 discovered. We shall particularize the following, 

 among the land salamanders: S. subviolacea ; a 

 large, stout species, seven inches or more in length ; 

 blackish, with two rows of large, round, whitish 

 spots on the back, becoming single on the tail; a 

 few similar spots on the legs. It resembles the 

 common salamander of Europe S. fuciata ; green ; 

 less than the preceding; blackish, with transverse 

 bluish-white bands on the back; found from N*nv 



Jersey to South Carolina, but rare S. glutinosa ; 



green; a more slender species, with the tail nearly 

 i \\ ice the length of the body ; blackish, sprinkled on 

 the upper parts of the body with white specks ; length 

 about six inches. It is found in most parts of the 



United States, and as far north as lat. 43 /S. 



longicMuda; green; whitish, with numerous black 

 specks; the tail longer in proportion than in any other 

 species ; total length, six inches. It is found in the 

 Atlantic states, but is more frequently met with in 



the limestone caves of the west S. bilineata ; 



green ; a small, slender species ; above brown, 

 beneath yellow, with two, or sometimes three, in- 

 distinct black lines ; the tail is longer than the 

 body, and compressed towards the extremity. It 

 inhabits New England and the Middle States, and 

 seems to be more brisk and lively in its motions 

 than the other terrestrial species. S. cirrigera ; 

 green ; a species somewhat resembling the preceding 

 in the distribution of its colours, but remarkable for 

 having two short, fleshy cirri on the snout. It was 

 found in the vicinity of New Orleans S. erythro- 

 nota (the most common species) ; blackish, with a 

 broad red stripe on the back. The young are des- 

 titute of the red stripe, and in some full grown 

 individuals a small portion only is observable, or it 

 is even entirely wanting S. symmetrica (Harlan) ; 

 reddish, with a row of bright orange ocellated spots 

 on each side ; length about three inches. The skin 

 of this animal is rough, and apparently destitute of 

 the mucous secretion common to the other species ; 

 the back is elevated, and the tail somewhat com- 

 pressed. An aquatic species, resembling it precise- 

 ly except in having the colour of the back browner, 

 and the tail much more compressed, is frequently 

 met with; and perhaps the difference is only 

 sexual. 



Among the aquatic salamanders we may particu- 

 larize, S. dorsalis (Harlan) ; resembling the preced- 

 ing in size and the general distribution of the co- 

 lours; but the ocelli are irregularly elongated, and 

 sometimes form an almost continuous line; and 

 there is a pale line on the back : the skin is smooth ; 

 the tail very much compressed, forming a distinct 

 edge above and below; inhabits South Carolina 

 S. maculata ; green ; a stout species : whitish, with 

 numerous round specks of a reddish brown colour; 

 tail about as long as the body, and slightly com- 

 pressed ; grows to the length of five inches or more. 

 S. ingens; green; by far the largest species 

 hitherto known; nearly a foot in length. It was 

 discovered in the vicinity of New Orleans. 



This is perhaps the most appropriate place to 

 speak of several very singular North American ani- 

 mals, allied to the salamander: Menopoma Alleg- 

 hanicnsis; an animal of disgusting appearance, with 

 a broad, flattened head, bearing a general resem- 

 blance to a salamander, but much larger than any 

 except the S. ingens. It appears to be destitute of 

 gills at all periods of its existence. It is found in 

 the Ohio and other western rivers, and is commonly 

 called ground-puppet, mud-devil, young alligator, 

 &c. Menobranchus lateralis resembles the preced- 

 ing in form, but the gills persist during life; an in- 

 distinct blackish band on each side. It attains the 

 length of one or two feet, lives in the water, and 

 is very voracious. It is found in the Ohio and the 

 lakes. Siren laccrtina; an eel-shaped animal, hav- 

 ing external gills, and two small feet, situated at 

 the anterior part of the body. It conceals itself in 

 the mud, but occasionally visits both land and 

 water. It inhabits the Southern States. Two 



