ORDERS OF AMPHIBIA. 387 



fish-like tail, and by being strictly oviparous. The larvae are 

 tadpole -like, with external branchiae, which they retain till 

 about the third month. The adult is destitute of gills, and 



Fig. 149. Great Water-newt (Triton cristatus) after Bell. 



breathes by lungs alone, but the larval tail is retained through- 

 out the life of the animal. 



The development of the Newts is so like that of the Frogs 

 that it is unnecessary to dilate further upon it here ; but there 

 are these two points of difference to be noticed : istly, That 

 the embryonic tail is not cast off in the adult ; and, 2.dly, That 

 the fore-limbs are developed sooner than the hind-limbs the 

 reverse of this being the case amongst the Anoura. 



The Land-salamanders form the genus Salamandra, and are 

 distinguished from their aquatic brethren by having a cylindri- 

 cal instead of a compressed tail, and by bringing forth their 

 young alive, or by being ovo-viviparous, in which case the 

 larvae have sometimes shed their external branchiae prior to 

 birth. The chief thing to remember about the Land-sala- 

 manders, and, indeed, about all the Urodela, is their complete 

 distinctness from the true Lizards (Lacertilia). They are often 

 completely lizard -like in form when adult, but they always 

 possess gills in the earlier stages of their existence, and this 

 distinguishes them from all the Lacertilians. 



ORDER III. ANOURA (= Batrachia, Huxley; Theriomorpha, 

 Owen ; Chelonobatrachia, &c.). This order includes the Frogs 

 and Toads, and is perhaps best designated by the name of 

 Anoura, or "Tail-less" Amphibians. The name Batrachia, 

 employed by Huxley, is inexpedient, partly because it is used 

 by Owen to designate the entire class Amphibia, and partly 

 because, in common language, it is usual to understand by a 

 " Batrachian" any of the higher Amphibians, such, for instance, 

 as a Labyrinthodont. 



The Anoura, or Tail-less Amphibians, are characterised by 

 the following points : The adult is destitute of both gills and 



