BATRACHIA. 189 



MENOPOMA, Harlan. 



Form of a Salamander ; eyes apparent, the feet well developed, and an 

 orifice on each side of the neck. Besides the range of small maxillary teeth, 

 there is a parallel row of them on the front of the palate. Such is the reptile 

 termed 



Sal. gigantea, Barton. (The Hellbender). From fifteen to eighteen inches 

 long; a blackish blue; inhabits the lakes and the rivers of the interior of 

 North America. 



AMPHIUMA, Garden. 



An orifice on each side of the neck, but the body excessively elongated ; 

 the legs and feet, on the contrary, but very slightly developed ; the palatine 

 teeth form two longitudinal ranges. 



Among those which always retain their branchiae, the 



AXOLOTUS 



Is in every respect similar to the larva of an aquatic salamander, having four 

 toes before, five behind, three long tufted branchiae, &c. The maxillary teeth 

 are like velvet, and those on the vomer in two bands. 



MENOBRANCHUS, Harlan. 



But four toes to all the feet; a range of teeth in the intermaxillaries, and 

 another, parallel, but more extended, in the maxillaries. 



The species most known, flfenobranchus later alls, Harl. Tritton lateral^, 

 Say, inhabits the great lakes of North America, attaining, as it is said, the 

 length of two and three feet. It was first obtained from Lake Champlain. 



PROTEUS, Laurent, 

 But three toes before, and only two behind. 



Hitherto but a single species has been discovered, Proteus anguinus, Laur. 

 More than a foot long, about the thickness of a finger, with a vertically com- 

 pressed tail and four small legs. 



Finally, there are some which are possessed of fore feet only, the hind ones 

 being entirely deficient. They form the genus 



SIREN, Linnaeus. 



Sirens are elongated animals, almost anguilliform, with three branchial 

 tufts; they have no hind feet, nor is there even a vestige of a pelvis. Their 

 head is depressed, the opening of their mouth small, their muzzle obtuse, eye 

 very small, and ear concealed ; the lower jaw is armed with teeth all round, 

 and there are none in the upper one, but there are several rows of them 

 adhering to two plates fixed under each side of the palate. 



S. lacertina, Lin. Blackish, and attains the length of three feet ; four toes 

 to each foot; tail compressed into an obtuse fin. It inhabits the marshes of 

 Carolina, the rice swamps particularly, where it lives in the mud, occasionally 

 going on shore or into the water. It feeds on lumbrici, insects, &c. There 

 are two much smaller species. 



