REPTILES. 207 
is a small Frog in Venezuela that has a similar contriv- 
ance, hatching its eggs in a pouch on its back. 
345. The common Newt, Fig. 166, is a specimen of the 
ee 
yy Zhi iit We 
bf, by HH WE 
Fig. 166.—Common Newt. 
Salamander family. It feeds chiefly on Tadpoles and 
worms, which it eats with a peculiar quick snap. These 
animals are, you see, much like the Lizards in shape; 
but they are considered as belonging to this order, be- 
cause they go through with the changes spoken of in 
§ 339. The true Salamander is a land animal of the same 
general character with the Water Newt, but having a 
rounded tail. The stories about its being capable of liv- 
ing in the midst of fire are wholly unfounded. 
346. The Sirens have only the anterior legs developed, 
and that only to a small extent. They are found princi- 
pally in the marshy rice-fields of the Southern States of 
this country. One species sometimes reaches a length 
of three feet. The Footless family contains but a sin- 
gle genus—the Blind Newt, or Naked Serpent. Cuvier 
placed it among the Serpents on account of its snake-like 
form. But it has no scales, and it is found to undergo 
the metamorphosis, or change of form, common to all the 
Amphibia. 
