SALAMANDERS. 63 



armed with one row of small teeth. The orbits are large, and 

 extend far forwards. The vertebral column is composed of bicon- 

 cave vertebrae, each of which possesses a lateral process. The 

 ribs, which are separated from the vertebrae, are short, and be- 

 come thinner towards the extremities. Near the fifth vertebra 

 are the fore limbs, in which are recognized the hatchet-shaped 

 shoulder-blade, the rather stout humerus,0'032 metre (or 1J inch) 

 in length, the two parallel bones of the forearm, somewhat un- 

 equal in length, and the expanded hand, consisting of four digits 

 which are rather longer than the forearm. Three of these 

 digits are two-jointed (deducting the carpal bones) ; but one has 

 three joints, which, however, are not equally well preserved in 

 both limbs. The hind limbs are probably attached to the twenty- 

 first vertebra ; but this cannot be ascertained with certainty, as 

 the pelvic bones are, for the most part, destroyed. These mem- 

 bers show the same structure as the fore limbs; but the toes 

 have been displaced. From other specimens it is known that 

 the hind feet had five toes, three of which were two-jointed, and 

 two three-jointed. The tail is remarkable for its length and 

 strength ; nineteen vertebrae may be counted in it; and to these 

 must be added a partially destroyed vertebra which was close to 

 the pelvis, and two small bones at the extremity of the tail, so 

 that the whole number is probably twenty-two, or nearly as many 

 as in the living species, which is said to have twenty-four. The 

 first caudal vertebrae are remarkably stout ; and all are furnished 

 with lateral processes. 



A second very fine specimen, in the collection at Zurich, is 

 twice as large in all its parts. The head is O175 metre (or nearly 

 7 inches) broad at the base, the first vertebra is 0-018 metre (or 

 0-701 inch) long, the fourth to the sixth 0'022 metre (or 0-866 

 inch) long, and the seventh to the twelfth 0'027 metre (or 1'063 

 inch) in length. The vertebrae are attenuated in the middle, 

 and have a rather sharp median ridge. This animal must have 

 been 1-260 metre in length (or 4 feet 1-607 inch). The Mu- 

 seum at Winterthur has received a still larger specimen ; and 

 the Cabinet of Natural History at Carlsruhe possesses one 

 4 feet long. These are the largest salamandroid animals which 

 ever inhabited the earth. The nearest living species occur in 

 Japan and in North America. The Japanese species (Andrias 



