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210 lUJLLKTIN :tl, IINIIKK STATKS NATIONAL MTSKIIM. 



Tlie ct>l(M' of Mic roriii Niiitli'sct'iis is ii lii^li* iHowiiisliolivo aliovc, 

 Nvliicli is or is not iiiiukcd olVtlistiiicH.v IVoiii tlir piiici' troloi- of the lower 

 siiiliKH'S iiioiiji: IJK^ sitlc. TIm' iiil'ciior smfiuu's avo stiaw rolor or ilirt.v 

 while. On I'iM-h sidoollhc .crlt'liriil lint' is a row of IVoin three to six 

 small ronnd reil spols, each with a hiaelv border. The rest of the snr- 

 liK^e is marked with small lila<;k points, whiehare smaller Init more dis- 

 tinet on the lower sintiuu's. On the Ie;;s they are huf^cr and more <lis- 

 tini't, and on the tiiil tiie.v appear to have! run like iidv spots on paper 

 placed in water. In specinn-ns wilhonl tins they sometimes form two 

 rows on each sid(^ of the tail and a liiu' alon;; the side from the axilla t<» 

 the ;j;roin. There is a faint daik line from the »'ye to the last ciMH'kpil. 

 Chin and throat j,'enerally nnspott«'d. 



In the form IMiniatus the tail is narrow, Iwiw^ without deitnal borders, 

 The color <d" the su|>erior surfaces is vernnliou red and the lowt'r sur- 

 faiH'S eitron-yellow. The red spots an- present as in the other foi'iu, but 

 the small black sp()ts are rart'ly pr.'sent on the back. They are present 

 on the sides, belly, lindts, ami tail, and lU'ver run to^'etlier into liiu's. 

 In this form the skin of all the upper surfaces is rou^h, with numei'ous 

 minute, semitrausparent horny points of the skin. These are not chn'el- 

 oped on the ird'erior surfaces. 



These characters would be likely to follow the exposure of an aquat it; 



1. I>ii iiiili'lillii" iiiiiiliiliiK iiiiiiiiitiin Kill'. :iKOL'. Tttirc iLitiiial Hi/i«. Itmit Kivrr, Wis. 



animal with soft skin to the coin|>arativ<^ drou^^lit of the atmosphere. 

 The f^reatei' a<!Uteiiess and prominence of the (rrauial <aests displayed 

 by tlu^ Miiiiatus fcn-m is proliably caused by the closer atlhenuiceof the 

 thinner inte;^unuMits under these ciriuimstauces. Direct observations 

 as to these points, however, exist. Dr. llalhnvell was the first to express 

 his belief that the so called distimtt species were the same. I afterwards 

 remarked, " the nominal />. miniatus is a state of />. r/r/V/cvcf/fv,'' and that 

 1 have had itchan^'e to the latter in confinement. Dr. Howard A. Kelly, 

 in an article in the American Naturalist, states, he " broii^'ht home a 

 number of />. iniiiidtu.s (Kaf.), or little red li/ard, or red eft, and after 

 keeping them in a daik box filled with saturatiMl moss, they (diaufjed 

 their color from a brijfht vermilion to the olive state characteristic of the 

 />. I'iridrstxn.s,'''' and he keiit them all winter. (3oi. Nicholas I'ike says in 

 tliesamejourual (.January, 188(5): "I have j^radually come to the conclu- 

 sion that the two are identical. Some years aj^o I captured (piite a nam- 

 berof red ones in theCatskill Moiintair.s, brou^^htthemhonu'!, and kept 

 them in a box with other salaiiuuiders, where they could resort to water 



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