REPTILIA. 239 



with a yellow stripe along the sides; Java, Ceylon. The species from 

 South America are more numerous, amongst which is the long and very 

 thin CcBcilia lumbricoldea DAUD., Ccecilia tentaculata L. in part, LINN. 

 Mus. Ad. Frid. Tab. v. fig. 2, BAUD. Kept. vn. PL 92, fig. 2, from Suri- 

 nam. LINN^US unites this with another, entirely different, species pre- 

 viously described and figured by him in the Amosn. Acad. I. Tab. xvn. 

 fig. i as Ccecilia tentaculata ; this is said to be from Surinam. The Leyden 

 Museum received a Ccecilia from the coast of Guinea that agrees with it. 

 The genus Ccecilia counts scarcely ten species. Hence a division of it, 

 according to less essential characters, like those on which the new genera 

 Siphonops WAGL., Epicrium WAGL. (Ichthyophis Frrz.) and Rhinatrema 

 DOM. et BIBB, are founded, is not necessary. These characters are derived 

 especially from the position of two small grooves, not unlike the nostrils, 

 either under these or under the eyes. More important is the prolongation 

 of the head above the mouth in Epicrium and Ccecilia, which is not found 

 in Siphonops, and more particularly the presence of two rows of teeth in 

 the under jaw in Epicrium (Ccecilia glulinosa), remarked by MUELLER, 

 which would be valuable characters if they were constant. Arckiv 1. 1. 

 P- 397- 



OBDEE II. Saurobatrachi s. Sozura. 



Feet four or two anterior. Tail persistent. Cavity of tympanum 

 none. 



Family II. Proteldea. External branchige persistent in most 

 throughout the whole life. Eyes concealed under the skin, without 

 eyelids, mostly small. Bodies of the vertebras with conical excava- 

 tions. Carpus (and tarsus) cartilaginous. 



To the genera Siren L. and Proteus, which have three pairs of 

 external gills, that continue to be the principal respiratory organs 

 during the whole of life, Amphiuma and Menopoma succeed in 

 natural order; they lose the gills indeed, but they retain a branchial 

 aperture behind the head for the whole of life. That the giant 

 salamander of Japan cannot be separated from Menopoma was 

 pointed out by me at an earlier period, and is now generally ac- 

 knowledged. At the same time this animal loses the gills and 

 presents no branchial aperture. The sole character therefore of 

 this division, otherwise so natural, is not to be sought in the per- 

 sistence of the gills. 



The Prote'ids, from their habitus, fall into two natural groups. 

 One of these contains Siren, Proteus, Amphiuma; the other group 

 contains Menopoma or Cryptobranchus and Sirenodon (the AxolotJ), 

 and passes through the last, which perfectly resembles a larva of 



