294 NEWTS AND SALAMANDERS. 



producing living young, this species differs in that never more than two are 

 born at a time. The most remarkable circumstance connected with the repro- 

 duction of the species is, however, that from thirty to forty eggs are found in the 

 oviducts of the females, out of which only one develops in each oviduct, at 

 the cost of the remainder, which form a glutinous mass surrounding the develop- 

 ing egg, and in which the liberated tadpole can afterwards freely move. There 

 are also some fifteen unimpregnated eggs in each oviduct, which serve as the food 

 of the newly-hatched tadpole. The tadpole, which does not attain its full size till 

 after birth, lies in the oviduct of the female with its tail curled, but is capable of 

 moving and even turning round. Its gills are of unusual length, being nearly 

 half as long as the whole body ; but before birth these shrivel up and are repre- 

 sented by mere knobs, so that the whole of the tadpole stage is passed through 

 within the maternal body. Tadpoles that have been taken from the oviduct 

 before completing their development will, however, live in water like those of the 

 other species ; thus proving that the species originally went through a temporary 

 aquatic existence. Although the two young salamanders are generally born at 

 the same time, occasionally one develops more rapidly than the other, so that 

 there may be an interval of several days between the births of the two. At the 

 pairing-seasons these salamanders enter the water for a few hours, but are other- 

 wise purely terrestrial The third representative of the genus is the Caucasian 

 salamander (S. caucasica), distinguished from both the others by the tail being 

 longer than the head and body. In colour this species is black, with irregular 

 rows of round yellow spots down the back. 



Spanish This species (Chioglossa lusitanica) is the sole representative 



Salamander. f a genus distinguished from the last by the tongue being supported 

 on a median protrusile pedicle, and consequently free everywhere except on the 

 front half of the median line. Considerably smaller than the spotted salamander, 

 this species is dark brown in colour, rather lighter above than below, with two 

 broad reddish golden bands along the body, separated from one another by a dark 

 line along the middle of the back. It inhabits the north-western districts of Spain 

 and the whole of Portugal. 



The newts (genus Molge) form an extensive group, of aquatic 

 habits, spread over Europe, Northern Asia, and North America, and 

 are the only members of the order found within the limits of the British Islands. 

 Having the same number of toes as the salamanders, they are distinguished by 

 the highly compressed and rudder-like tail, as well as by the frequent presence 

 of a fin-like crest down the middle of the back, which often attains a special 

 development in the males during the breeding-season. With the exception of the 

 crested newt, the skull differs from that of the salamanders by the presence of a 

 ligamentous or bony arch connecting the frontal with the squamosal bone ; and 

 the palatine teeth form two nearly straight or slightly curved series. The tongue 

 is free along the sides, but may be either attached or more or less free behind. 

 The genus may be divided into two main groups, according to the presence or 

 absence of a crest down the middle of the back of the males ; and each of 

 these may be further subdivided according to the characters of the so-called 

 fronto-squamosal arch. - . J- - - • 



