368 REPTILES. BATRACHIA. 



Gen. 4. PIPA, Laurenti. 



Body flattened horizontally ; head large and triangular ; tongue 

 wanting; tympanum concealed under the skin; eyes small, to- 

 wards the margin of the upper jaw ; toes of the fore feet cleft 

 into four small points ; larynx of themale very long, triangular. 



P. Surinamensis. (Rana pipa, Lin.) Body broad, flattened, olive- 

 coloured, with red spots j head short, with a crenulated coria- 

 ceous appendage at the angles of the mouth. 5 inches long. In- 

 habits Surinam. Shaw, iii. pi. 50, 51. 



Gen. 5. SALAMANDRA, Brongniart. Lacerta, Lin. 

 Body elongated ; tail long, cylindrical or flattened ; head de- 

 pressed ; ears concealed, and with a small cartilaginous plate 

 upon the opening; jaws furnished with numerous small teeth, 

 and two longitudinal rows of similar teeth on the palate ; 

 tongue short, thick, and fixed in the lower jaw ; no third 

 eyelid ; feet four, with four toes before and five behind. 



This genus has the general form of the lizards. In the adult state they respire 

 in the same manner as the frog and tortoise. The tadpoles respire at first by three 

 tufted branchiae on each side of the neck, which are afterwards obliterated. These 

 tufts are not covered. The fore feet are developed before the hind feet, and the toes 

 appear in succession. 



* Terrestrial. Tail rounded when adult. 



S. terrestris. (Lacerta Salamandra, Lin.) Black, with large spots 

 of bright yellow ; rows of tubercles upon the sides, which exude 

 a milky liquor, which acts as a poison on small animals. 7 or 8 

 inches long. Inhabits Europe. Shaw, iii. pi. 82. 

 It is perhaps owing to this milky exudation that the fable of the salamander's be- 

 ing able to resist fire has arisen. They inhabit moist places, retire into holes, feed 

 on lumbrici, insects, &c. Their young are deposited in marshy situations, and at 

 first have their tail flattened vertically, but in their adult state it is rounded. 



** Aquatic. Tail compressed vertically TRITON, Laurenti. 

 The experiments of Spallanzani on the astonishing power of reproduction in these 

 animals are well known. Another faculty no less singular is that of being able to 

 survive after being a long time frozen in ice. The ova are expelled in long chap- 

 lets ; the young are hatched fifteen days after, and preserve their gills for a longer 

 or shorter period, according to the species. 



S. marmorata, Latr. Skin shagreened, pale green above, with 

 large irregular brown spots ; brown, dotted with white below ; a 

 crest on the back of the male ; tail much compressed. Inhabits 

 Europe. Cuv. Reg. An. ii. 100. 



S. punctata, Latr. Skin smooth, clear brown above, paler below or 

 reddish, with black and round spots ; black streaks on the head ; 

 crest of the male festooned. Inhabits Europe. Cuv . Reg. An. 100. 



S. palmata, Latr. (L. aquatica, Lin.) Back brown ; top of the 

 head waved with brown and blackish ; sides paler, with round 

 blackish spots ; belly whitish, without spots ; male with three small 

 crests on the back ; toes dilated and united by membranes ; tail 

 terminating in a small filament. Europe. B. Shaw, iii. pi. 83. 



