AMPHIBIOUS QUADRUPEDS. 261 



proper analogy. In the fore-feet, or rather hands, 

 all the arm and the cubit are hid under the skin, 

 and nothing appears but the hand from the wrist 

 downwards ; so that if we imagine a child with 

 its arms swathed down, and nothing appearing 

 but its hands at each side of the bgdy, towards 

 the breast, we may have some idea of the forma- 

 tion of this animal in that part. These hands 

 are covered in a thick skin, which serves like a 

 tin for swimming ; and are distinguished by five 

 claws, which are long, black, and piercing. As 

 to the hind-feet, they are stretched out on each 

 side of the short tail, covered with a hairy skin 

 like the former, and both together almost joining 

 at the tail ; the whole looks like the broad flat 

 tail of a fish, and, were it not for five claws which 

 appear, might be considered as such. The dimen- 

 sions of this animal are various, being found from 

 four feet long to nine. They differ also in their 

 colours ; some being black, others spotted, some 

 white, and many more yellow. It would, there- 

 fore, be almost endless to mention the varieties 

 of this animal. BufFon describes three ; and 

 Crantz mentions five, all different from those des- 

 cribed by the other. I might, were I fond of 

 such honours, claim the merit of being a first des- 

 criber myself; but, in fact, the varieties in this 

 animal are so many, that, were they all described, 

 the catalogue would be as extensive as it would 

 be useless and u neuter taining. It is sufficient to 

 observe, that they agree in the general external 

 characters already mentioned, and internally in 



