150 TAILED AMPHIBIANS 



ing stage, either reduced to a pair of small holes, or totally 

 absent. Both jaws are provided with teeth, but the eyes are 

 without lids. 



This Family consists of two genera and three species, two 

 of which are found in the United States, the other in Japan. 



The Hellbender, or Menopoma, 1 is one of the ugliest- 

 looking creatures on this continent. When fully adult it is 

 from 18 to c 2() inches in length, its head and body are much 

 flattened, while its tail is flattened vertically and completely 

 finned. Its legs and feet are short and thick, and all along 

 the middle of each side is a wide, convoluted fold of skin. 



Its color is a uniform dull brown, accentuated by a few 

 dark blotches of very irregular shape. On the left side there 

 is a gill-opening, but on the right there is none; and there 

 are four pairs of gill-arches. The skin is smooth, but the 

 head bears many wart-like tubercles. 



This unpleasing animal is found in many of the streams 

 that flow into the Ohio River, and the Mississippi also, but 

 it is most abundant in Pennsylvania, especially in streams 

 whose sources are in the Alleghanies. In its food habits it 

 is very voracious, feeding upon worms, minnows and craw- 

 fish, and often taking the hooks of fishermen in quest of that 

 most repulsive of all American fishes, the catfish. Fishermen 

 hate the Hellbender; but between catfish and Hellbender 

 there would seem to be small choice. 



The Hellbender is very tenacious of life, and it is said that 

 it can live on land for twenty-four hours without perishing. 

 On this point, Mr. William Frear offers the following testimony: 

 1 Cryp-to-bran'chiu '<>r Men-o-po'ma) al-le-gha-ni-en'sis. 



