THE MUD "EEL ! 



155 



THE TWO-LEGGED SALAMANDERS 



Sirenidae 



Near the foot of the Class Amphibia, we find the 

 TWO-LEGGED SALAMANDERS, of which there are only two 

 species, both American. Both look very much like the Congo 

 "snake"; but the hind legs are totally absent, and external 

 gills are conspicuously present. The front legs, which are 



SIREN SALAMANDER, OR MUD "EEL." 



close behind the gills, are larger than in any other of the eel- 

 like salamanders, and are of some slight use. 



THE SIREN SALAMANDER, or MUD "EEL," 1 of our south- 

 eastern states, has four toes on its feet, three pairs of gill- 

 openings, a smooth skin of a dull-black color, and when fully 

 adult a length of about 24 inches. The habitat and habits 

 of this creature correspond closely to those of the Congo 

 "snake" of the southern rice-fields and swamps. 



1 Si'ren la-cer-ti'na. 



