372 



TAILED BATRACHIANS. 



bodies along the ground, and usually live in the 

 water such are the Newts. Those, on the contrary, 

 which lose their tail, as the Frogs, walk or even leap 

 with facility. 



TAILED BATRACHIANS (Urodela)* 



In this division, which comprehends the Newts and 

 the Salamanders, the tail, so 

 characteristic of the tadpole 

 condition, remains large, long, 

 and well developed through life. 



The accompanying figure of the 

 skeleton of one of these animals 

 will display its general form and 

 structure ; the body is slender, 

 lengthened, and lizard- like ; the 

 limbs are .four in number, and 

 furnished with small, well-formed 

 toes ; the vertebrae, are numerous and 

 flexible, the ribs mere rudiments and 

 very short. 



The Terrestrial Salamander (Salaman- 

 dra) is a harmless little reptile, " from six 

 to eight inches long, thicker and fuller 

 than a lizard, having a pale white belly, 

 and one part of the skin exceeding black, 

 the other yellow, both of them very splen- 

 dent and glistening, with a black line 

 going down the back, having upon it 

 many little spots, like eggs." This 

 " daughter of fire, with a body of ice," 

 was formerly, and is still, in some parts 

 believed to be able to brave the violence 

 of fire, to pass through it unhurt, and even 

 to extinguish it in its course, with how 

 much truth we leave our readers to judge. 

 The young of the Salamander are pro- 

 duced alive and fully formed ; they only 

 differ from the mother by the possession 

 of gills. The Salamander inhabits Cen- 

 tral Europe, and occurs in many parts- of 

 France. 



FlG. 302. SKELETON OF 

 SALAMANDER. 



* oupa, oura, tail; 8r}Aos, delos, manifest i.e., having 

 spicuous tail. 



a con- 



