194 



THE NECTURUS. 



by confinement, change of air and temperature, and occasional exposure to light for 

 some hours, as from mere starvation. It is well-known, for example, that, as a general 

 rule, the Batrachia endure starvation most remarkably." 



The gills of the Proteus are very apparent, and of a reddish color, on account of the 

 blood that circulates through them. I have often witnessed this phenomena by means 

 of the ingenious arrangement invented by Dr. Beale, by which the creature was held 

 firmly in its place while a stream of water was kept constantly flowing through the tube 

 in which it was confined. The blood discs of this animal are of extraordinary size ; so 

 large, indeed, that they can be distinguished with a common pocket magnifier, even 

 while passing through the vessels. Some of the blood corpuscules of the specimen 

 described above are now in my possession, and, together with those of the lepidosiren 

 form a singular contrast to the blood corpuscules of man, the former exceeding the 

 latter in dimensions as an ostrich egg exceeds that of a pigeon. 



NECTURUS. Necturus lateral!*. 



The color of the Proteus is pale faded flesh tint, with a wash of gray. The eyes 

 are quite useless, and are hidden beneath the skin, those organs being needless in the 

 dark recesses where the Proteus lives. Its length is about a foot. What are the 

 natural habits of this strange animal, what is its food, of what nature is its develop- 

 ment, and what is its use, are a series of problems at present unanswered. By some 

 writers it has been thought to be merely the larval state of some large Batrachian at 

 present unknown ; but the anatomical investigations that have been made into its 

 structure seem to confirm the idea that it is a perfect being, and one of those species 

 which carry the gills throughout their whole existence. 



IN the NECTURUS, the head is much broader and flatter and the tail shorter than in 

 the preceding species. This animal belongs to the same family as the Proteus, but is a 

 native of America, being found in the Mississippi and several of the lakes. It is rather 

 a large animal, attaining, when adult, a length of two or three feet, and being of a thick 

 and sturdy make. The gills of this creature are large and well tufted, and the limbs 

 are furnished with four toes on each foot, but without claws. 



