r 



i 



rilK ISATKACIIIA Ol" NORTH AMKlilCA. 



211 



if tlu'.v ••liosi'. Koi- sitiiMi jlays tlii-y rciiiiiiiit'd liidiiij,' iiiHlcr llu-. wt-t 

 moss iiiid stones, hut liiially crept out at iii;'lit and wi^nt into the water. 

 I iinxi', lliein some inseets and worms, widcli tlit'.v I'eadil.v devonied. In 

 .ilxMit three moid lis rliey lost their lii'i;>ht red, and in less than a year 

 tlie.v weieof the usual oliv«: of the N'irideseens. Another laet, still more 

 decidedly iteariii;,' on the, case, is, tiiat some two-y<'ar-old N'iridescens 

 taken Irom the ponds and (uit in earth and dead wet leaves in a tub in 

 my {garden, wiilniut water, in a month or so beyan to lose their ;;reen 

 tint and assume a din<;y, hrownish hue.*' 



I'rolessor IJaird thus descrrihcs the breeding; habits of this sahi- 

 iiiander :* 



"In the spriii;; of the year a broad tin be(;«)mes developed alon^i' the 

 tail and back of tiie male, and the feet (^iilar;;'e, with the addition ol' a 

 Idaek «Mrtila<;iiious mass on the toes and inside of the thighs, for the 

 |iurpose of enabling' it to hold on to the female. This it does by elasp- 

 \u<i her around the throat with the hind W'^s and retaining' the hohl for 

 some hours or loiij^'cr, jerkin.!;' her around in the water most unmerci- 

 fully diiriii;;' the whole time. A i|uantity of seminal matter is linally 

 (liscliarj;ed, whicii becomes ditViised in the water, and lecuudates the ovji 

 whiUi still in the lower part of the oviduct. Tln^ ej;us ;i\v laid siiifjly, 

 of an ellipsoidal shape, and invested by a very glutinous coat, by whicli 

 it is attached to the middle of an immersed leaf, wliiith is then donbUul 

 over it Ity the exertions of the female. The ejiji's, after remainiiij;' for 

 soii>e time in this way, linally j;ive birth to small larva', the };«'neral 

 cluuaeter of wlmse metaiiiorphosis is inneli the same as that of the 

 species already desi lihed." 1 have found the habits of specimens of 

 this si)e(riea in conlinemciit <piit«^ as tlescribed by Hair.l. 1 found the 

 axils of the leaves of I'Iriciihnia to be used as plaeeH for the de|>osit 

 of e.i!:f;s i)y the lemalc. (See .loiiriial Philadelphia Ac^ademy, lS(i(>, p. (JS.) 



/>/('m//(7///((.v rin'ilesccns )nei'i(lioit(ili>i Cope. 



Itiillctin f. S. N;it .Miis., No. •Jii, lH-(i, i>, :!(i. Mohji: iiivridioiKiliH Vi>[>i'; 

 I'xiuliimcr, Ann. Mm^m/. Nut. Hist., iSriH, Junnary. 



This subspecies has tiie lon,i;er di{>itsof the form Miiiiatus, and low 

 «aanial crests of the Viride.scens, with which it also ayrees in color, 

 {'rom both Ibrms it ililVers in the absence of red spots from the dorsal 

 rej^ioii, which is instead covered with rather large bhudi spots, which 

 (joiitinue on the tail. The j;roiiud above is olive; below it is yellow, 

 which is marlvcd with numerous small l»lack spots. A characttr wliicli 

 appears to be of importance is seen in the tore foot. The outer toe is 

 more than half as lonj^ as the penultimate, while in the varieties Viri- 

 des(;ens and Miniatus it is less than half as loiij;. 



The lirst specimen of this form whi(;h 1 met with was sent to the 

 Smithsonian Institution froai .Mataiuoros, Mexico. G. W. Marnock 



"Jcoiidj;!'. l^inyil., vol. ii, j). 5>ri4, ISfil. 



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