THE SALAMANDER. 3? 



Capable of becoming humid or dry. 



which have also several teeth placed in the bot- 

 tom of the mouth. The color is very dark ; upon 

 the belly it has a bluish cast, intermixed With 

 pretty large irregular yellow spots, which extend 

 over the whole body, and even to the feet and 

 eye-lids ; some of these spots are besprinkled 

 with small black specks, and those which are 

 upon the back often touch without interruption, 

 and form two long yellow bands. The color, 

 however, must be subject to vary, as it appears 

 that some salamanders are found in the marshy 

 forests of Germany, which are quite black above 

 and yellow below. To this variety we must refer 

 the black salamander found by Mr. Laurenti 

 in the Alps, which he considered as a distinct 

 species. 



This animal has no ribs any more than frogs, 

 to which it has a great resemblance in the gene- 

 ral form of the anterior part of its body. When 

 touched, it suddenly covers itself with a kind of 

 a transparent coat of varnish, formed by some- 

 thing like milk, which oozes from a number of 

 excrescences or teats, containing a great many 

 holes ; and it can also very rapidly change its 

 skin from a state of humidity to a state of dry- 

 ness. The milk which issues from the small 

 holes in its surface is very acrid ; when put upon 

 the tongue one feels as it were a kind of scar at 

 the part which it touched. This milk, which is 

 considered as an excellent substance for taking 

 off hair, has some resemblance to that which dis- 



