454 



I!UI,I,r,TIN :(l, IMTKl) STATI'.S NATH)\AI. MI'SKI'M. 



They iirc vci.v ToikI of raw meat, atitl, iipoti tlic sli^rlitcsl pnivoration, 

 tlio.v will I'ccil upon each otlici-. So I have IoiiikI diiriii;^' tli(^ coiii'str til' 

 my cxiu'iiiiu'iits tliat — 



"(7) TIk^ iiu'taiiioi pilosis is liastt'iicd by n';'iilaily supply in;; I lie an 

 iinals with |)l(>iily of pn>j)(M' (ooil. And wliat is .still nioic intcrcstin;:, 

 wiicn tln-y arc tints tivatcd it niarUcdIy atVccts tin' appearance <•!' tlir 

 (ranslornu'd A nil)ly stomas. 



"(S) If, durin;;- the proct's-i of I'orcin;; the (ransforniatittn of Axololls, 

 the animals are re;;nlarly siipplietl with the requisite amount of fre>li 

 liK'at, the translornn'(l Amlilyslomas ar<> very inmth lar;;er and stron;{< r 

 than those which are transformed without havin;;' leeeived any food. 

 In the ease of . I. tii/riiiinii — those that received food— the Iransforninl 

 aninnd w<»uld hardly have been leco^iiiized as th«^ same species; the\ 

 were not only hn};t'r, hut of a very deep, muddy, black cttlor, without 

 spots, while i\n'. others were mottled with bri;;ht yellow ami a pair 

 brown. 



"(!)) The depth of the water has a womlerfnl intluctuM> upon the nn>tii 

 inorphosis ; and the fact is well known that the deeper the water in 

 which the Axolotls live the slower their transformation. 



"Temperature is am)tlier imptutant factor in the chan^ic, ami lis 

 moderate increasj' s'-ems to hasten tln^ transloiination. 



"Now, the; most intercstin;; part of all is to watch the operation of 

 these laws that I have ;>iven, in nature, and the manner in which tin' 

 metamorphosis of Axolotls is there ell'ccted. 



" It would, indeed, be hard to tiud anywhere a nnue perfect and beauli 

 fnl example illustratin;;' the extremely .sensitive balance that may exi>l 

 between the surroiindiu;; cimditionson the one hand and their ellcci 

 np(Mi an animal or;;anism on the other. This year, fei- instance, tiic 

 poml that I have observed ^rradually dried up; the north half of ii 

 entirely. This took a number of weeks, but durin;; that tinn* all lln' 

 modilications of which the metann)rpho.ses of Axolotls are subj«>cl In 

 or capable of, were, so far as their necessity p)es, most lucidly demon 

 strated. A slnillow corner of this pond would, after a torrid day oi- twn. 

 dry up, whereu|)on all the Axolotls that happened to Ik> cau;;ht witiiin 

 its limits would be found — perhaps seveial hundreil of them — under tin- 

 dt'-bris, rapidly assuming; tln^ Amblystoma form. 



" Nund)ersof (he .same ;;enei'ation, however, in deeper parts, would be 

 unafVected by th(M'lian;;'«>(d' enviroinnent so sud<lenly pi'ccipitated upnn 

 their brethren. If the dryin;; up continued, these transfoiined aninmls 

 <put the site, and during the next few days could be foninl under lo;,'s, 

 an«l in other suitable places at some considerable distam-e from it. On 

 the contrary, shoidd a rain in the mean time till the pond a;;ain ami 

 Hood over (heso shallow parts, the transformations were checked, and 

 those with ;,'ills and braiu'liia" in all sta^jes of (dian^je once mon^ took 

 to the water. When huddled to;j;ether in the .sliallow places, the lar;:c 

 and strong; ones devoured the smaller and feebler forms; luid the ditVcr- 



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