THE SALAMANDER. 69 



In addition to this, the Salamander was esteemed 

 a poisonous reptile; and has been generally held in 

 terror ; but this opinion has been refuted by numer- 

 ous experiments. M. de Maupertuis, who minutely 

 studied the nature of this Lizard, in order to dis- 

 cover what might be its pretended poison, demon- 

 strated also experimentally that fire acted upon it 

 in the same manner as upon all other animals. He 

 remarked that it was scarcely upon the fire before 

 it appeared to be covered with drops of a kind of 

 milky fluid, which oozed through all the pores of 

 the skin, and immediately became hard. It is 

 needless to say that this fluid is not sufficiently abun- 

 dant to extinguish even the smallest fire : it pos- 

 sesses some degree of acridity, for when put upon 

 the end of the tongue, it causes an unpleasant burn- 

 ing sensation*. 



Shady woods, high mountains, or the banks of 

 unfrequented rivulets, are the usual retreats of these 

 animals ; and they are not often seen except during 

 wet weather. In the winter, they lie concealed in 

 hollows about the roots of old trees, in subterrane- 

 ous recesses, or the cavities of old walls, where 

 several of them have been sometimes discovered, 

 collected, and twisted together. They are often to 

 be seen in the water, where they are able to live 

 as well as on land. Their principal food is insects, 

 snails, &c. Their pace is slow, and in manners 

 they are very sluggish. 



* La Cepcdc, ii. 138. 



F 2 



