124 



NATURAL HISTORY OF VERMONT. 



Part I, 



THE SALAMANDERS. 



TlIK SALAJIAMjERS. 



ry in number and size in different indi- 

 viduals ; the whole surface of the body, 

 limbs and tail tluckly sprinkled with n)i- 

 nute black dots. The head is short, rath- 

 er broad behind, and pointed at the snout, 

 with the nostrils near the extremity ; 

 eyes rather proniine-nt, pupils black, iris 

 light yellow ; tail roundish at the base, 

 then compressed laterally throui^h its 

 whole length, and very thin at the ex- 

 tremity ; fore legs and feet sm-ill and del- 

 icate, with 4 small toes; hind leg.* near- 

 ly twice as lai-<re, with 5 toes. Length 

 of the largestot two speciuicns before me, 

 3.7 inches ; head and neck .6 ; body 1.1 : 

 tail 2. 



History. — This is one of the most 

 common species of Salamander in Ver- 

 mont, and is eminently aquatic, spend- 

 ing nearly all the time in tne water, 

 wlien kept in a vessel of water it rises to 

 tiie surlace every few minutes for the 

 purpose of taking in air. It is an animal 

 of considerable activity, and its move- 

 ments are often very sudden. It is per- 

 fectly harmless, and usually nuuiifests 

 much anxiety to conceal itself from view. 

 This salamander seems to be much an- 

 noyed by a species of parasitic animals. 

 One of "the specimens before me has at 

 least 20 upon it at this moment. They 

 are soft animals, resembling a snail in ap- 

 pearance, but more pointed at the two 

 extremities. Tiiey move in the manner 

 of caterpillars, by reaching forw.Trd and 

 then bringing up its posterior. They fas- 

 ten themselves upon the salamander by 

 their moutiis, in the manner of the lam- 

 preys or bloodsuckers, and adhere with 

 such force as not to be easily separated. 

 The animal upon which Ihey are fastened 

 seems to be in mucii agony, and frequent- 

 ly struggles, but in vain, to rid himself of 

 thein. "^ When fully e.xtended they meas- 

 ure one third of an inch. On being taken 

 from the water, they die as soon as the 

 water which adheres to them is evapora- 

 ted. 



SALMON-COLORED SALAMANDER. 



Salamandra salmonca. — Store r. 



Description. — Color }-ellowish brov^'n 

 above, salmon color at the sides, with a 

 bri"-ht salmon-colored line from the nos- 

 tril to the upper part of the orbit; upper 

 jaw i)ale salmon color, with a few brown 

 SDots-; lower jaw, and body beneath whi- 

 t'.'sh ; light salmon color beneath the tail. 



Head large and flat; snout obtuse ; nos- 

 trils small ; a. strongly marked cuticular 

 fold upon the neck ; eyes remote and 

 very prominent; pupil black; iris cop- 

 per-colored; body elongated and cylin- 

 drical ; posterior extremities twice the 

 size of the anterior. Tail longer than the 

 body, rounded at the root, compressed la- 

 terally and pointed at the tip. Length 

 (i.^ ; tail beyond the vent 2.^. — Storcr. 



fiiSTORY. — This species was first de- 

 scribed and named by Dr.'Storer, of Bos- 

 trui, frjnn a specimen found by Dr. Bin- 

 ney, in Vermont, and his description, with 

 a figure, was published in Dr. Holbrook's 

 Amer. Herpetology, Vol. lil — 101. A 

 description is also given in Dr. Storer's 

 Report, p. 248. I have a specimen of this 

 salamander, taken in Bridgewater, but as 

 it is not fully grown I give Dr. Storer'3 

 description. It is found upon moist lands. 



THE TIGER SALAMANDER. 



Sulumiindra tigrina. — Green. 



Descrii'Tio.v. — Color blackish above, 

 marked irregularly and thickly with roun- 

 dish, oblong and angular yellow spots of 

 different sizes ; belly brownish gray ; legs 

 the same color as the body, with a few 

 yellow spots on the outside. Head rath- 

 er large ; snout rounded; ej'es black and 

 prominent; lour toes on the fore feet, 3d 

 the longest; 5 on the hind feet, 3d and 

 4th longest ; hind legs about twice the 

 size of the fore legs ; a distinct cuticular 

 fold under the throat ; tail longer than 

 the body, roundish at the base, but soon 

 becoming flattened, and edged towards 

 the extremity and terminated in a flatten- 

 ed point. Hind legs midway between the 

 snout and the extremity of the tail. — 

 Length of the specimens before me 3 in., 

 but it grows larger. 



History. — This Salamander is fre- 

 quently met with in Vermont, living in 

 swamps and marshes. 1 obtained 3 good 

 specimens of this species from the stom- 

 ach of a Ribband Snake, C. savrita, be- 

 sides some others which were partly di- 

 gested. The snake from which they were 

 taken measured about 2 feet, and the sal- 

 amanders 3 inches. On the 4lh of Au- 

 gust, 1842, I caught with a sooojj-net 

 more than a dozen salamanders, out of a 

 small muddy pool in Rurlington, which I 

 suppose to bcbmg to this species. They 

 were about 3 inches in length, ofa brown- 

 ish yellow color, and most of them were 

 in the larva state, having the fin along 



