.^1^ VERTEBRATA. 



on it witli horror, as most (K-struftive; an<l coiisi.lcrod it as deadly a part of tlic poisoner's lubo- 

 rat-.rv as aconite or lioinloek. llenee cauu' a proverh, that lie who was bitten hy a salamander 

 had need of as nianv physicians as the aninial had spots; and another more hopeless: "If a 

 saluinander bites yon, pnt on your slnoiid." 



Not only was "its bite considered fatal, and the administration of the animal itself, taken 

 internallv, believed to be deadly, but any tliini,^ that its saliva had touched was said to become 

 poix.nons. 'I'hus, if it crept over an apple-tree, it was supi)osed to poison all the fruit with its 

 saliva- an<l ev«'ii herbs on which the lluid fell were believed to affect those who tasted them with 

 voniitiiii,'. These fables liad taUeii such stronsjj hold, that it was thouo-ht worthy of record in the 

 " Acts of the Aea<lemv of Natural ( 'ui'iosities," that a man had survived after eating a salamander, 

 which his wife had luit into his food in hopes of thereby becoming a widow. But the grand 

 absurdity was the belief that the salamander was incombustible — an idea which had no other 

 foundation than that a copious secretion of the fluid above named, might damp the flames. An- 

 other fable was that the saliva of the salamander was a depilatory, and of such power as to remove 

 even the most luxuriant tresses. Its heart was worn as an amulet, and was used in medicine as 

 a cure for lei)rosy ; it also was supposed to have the faculty of transmuting quicksilver into gold. 



THE VIOLET-COLOEED SALAMANDER. 



The species of salamander in the United States are numerous. The Yellow-bellied Sala- 

 mander, S. symmetrica, is three inches long, reddish-brown above ; it is found under stones 

 and decayed wood ; common from Maine to Florida. The Violet-colored Salamander, S, 

 sub-violacea, is five to seven inches long ; bluish-black, with bright yellow spots ; habits noc- 

 turnal, living under rocks, stones, and decaying trees ; found from Maine to Maryland. The 

 Red-hacked Salamander, S. erythronola, three and a half inches long, runs rapidly, is seen among 

 the leaves in moist wooded districts, and conceals itself under stones and decayed trees; found from 

 Northern New York to South Carolina. The Painted Salamander, S. picta, four and a half 

 inches long, dark slate above ; inhabits shallow streams ; found from Massachusetts to Penn- 

 .sylvania. The Salmon-colored Salamander, S. salmonea, five and a half inclies long, color 

 reddish-brown ; found in New York and the New England States. The Blotched Salamander, 

 S. fascia ta; color gray, with bluish-black blotches ; length five inches; found from Massachusetts 

 to Carolina, also in Ohio. The Long-tailed Salamander, S. longicauda, length six inches ; 

 found in Pennsylvania and Ohio. The Granulated Salamander, S. ffranulata, six to seven 

 inclies long, greenish-slate color ; found in Pennsylvania. The Striped-backed Salamander, 

 S. hiUneata, three inches long, brownish-yellow ; found from New York to Pennsylvania, and also 

 in Ohio. The Red Salamander, S. rubra, four and a half inches long, red, with numerous black 

 dots ; a common species in the Middle States. The Scarlet Salamander, S, coccinea, two to 

 six inches in length, bright scarlet ; found in Western New York. The Blue-spotted Sala- 

 mander, *S'. ffliitlnosa, four to six inches long, bluish-black; found from Massachusetts to Penn- 

 sylvania, and also in Ohio. 



There are several other species of these curious little animals in the Middle, Southern, and 

 \VesterD States. 



