The 
glands 
oviduct. 
large 
part of the 
there are 
in the widened upper 
tail is cylindrical, and 
near the ear, 
Plate VI. fig. a. The Spotted Salamander (Sa/a- 
mandra maculosa) is about six inches long, and is 
beautifully marked with black and yellow. It is found 
in dark and damp places, in many parts of the Con- 
tinent of Europe. It is a rather sluggish creature. 
It was formerly to be fire-proof and 
venomous. 
The Newts (Zritontd@) have the tail laterally 
compressed, and suited for a propeller. They live in 
stagnant water, and lay their eggs singly on the leaves 
of water-plants. They are very active in the water, 
but are obliged to come to the surface every two 
or three minutes to breathe. In the winter they 
hibernate on land. They have a wonderful power 
of reproducing their limbs, if lost by accident. 
Plate VI. Fig. b The Great Water Newt 
(Triton cristatus) the largest species found in Britain, 
is five or six inches long. The skin is warty, and 
its colour is dark brown, spotted with black above, 
and orange with dark spots beneath. The sides are 
dotted with white. The male has a large jagged 
crest on the back in the breeding season. The va- 
rious stages of the development of the larva are re- 
presented at Fig. b. 1 to 5. 
The Axolotl (S¢vedon pisciformis) the type of 
the family Amdlystomide, is eight or ten inches long. 
The body is dark brown with black spots, and the 
tail has a greenish lustre and is marked with pale 
spots. There are four toes on the front feet, and 
five on the hind feet. It is found in the lakes of 
Mexico, and is frequently exhibited in our aquariums. 
The immature form with gills is by far the most 
common. 
supposed 
Order III. 
The vertebrae are concave at the sides as in 
fishes. The head is flattened, and there are two or 
three branching tufts of gills at the sides of the neck. 
The body is long and narrow and the legs are weak. 
The eyes are either entirely hidden, or very small 
and without lids. The Sirens live in the water and 
are found in both hemispheres. 
Plate VI. Fig. c. The Proteus (Proteus angut- 
nus) 1s a queer eel-shaped creature with three promi- 
nent red tufts of gills on each side of the neck. It 
has four weak legs, the front feet having three toes, 
and the hind feet two. It is of a pale flesh-colour 
gradually passing into grey in the light. It is upwards 
ANY 
Order 
LOE ae z ZAR zp Wy gf hy 


Ichthyoidea. 
































NEE 
Axolotl (Siredon pisciformes); 
(Sirens.) 
of a foot in length. It inhabits the subterranean 
waters of Carniola, and does not require eyes, which 
are only represented as small points under the skin. 
Both jaws are provided with slender teeth, but large 
enough to seize its prey. 
Plate VI. fig. d. The Siren (Stren Jdacertina) 
is an ugly creature about two feet long, which resem- 
bles an eel. It has only a front pair of legs, and 
there are three tufts of external gills on the neck, which 
sprout from separate gill-slits. The eyes and nostrils 
are small, and the colour of the body is dark grey. 
These remarkable creatures inhabit the great swamps 
of South Carolina &c. 
Apoda. 
These are worm-like animals with rings on the 
body, but without limbs or tail. One lung only is 
developed. 
They chiefly inhabit America, and attain 
a length of two or three feet. 
Stphonops annulata 
however, here figured, is a native of Ceylon. It is 
dirty grey in colour. There is not much known 
about its habits, except that it burrows in the 
ground with considerable strength and agility. It is 
usually met with in damp places, about one or two 
feet below the surface. 
