324 American Amphibia. 



teriorly; the anterior legs including the toes fin.; toes 5, free j 

 order of length 3 and 4 equal, 2-5-1 ; 1st, about half the length 

 of 2d, which is one third shorter than 3d and 4th ; nails all much 

 compressed, deep, much curved at point and very acute ; posterior 

 extremities lyV in, ; toes five, much longer than the anterior 

 ones ; order of length 4-3-5-2-1 a regular gradation from ^ to /g- 

 of an inch, the fifth opposable to the others ; nails as on the anteri- 

 ors. Head covered with plates ; scales all round, imbricate and 

 wider than long ; two rows of larger ones sub-quadrangular on 

 the sides of the lower jaw and beneath it, a large triangular one 

 beneath its extremity ; scales of the tail larger and wider in pro- 

 portion to their length than those of the body ; the central infe- 

 rior row much larger than the others ; toward the end of the tail 

 the scales become sub-verticillate, the tip sub-acute ; 28 rows of 

 scales surround the trunk ; the scales beneath the toes sub-ser- 

 rate, beneath the feet tuberculate ; anus a transverse slit ; color 

 above olive brown ; head immaculate ; a narrow line of dark 

 brown through the first lateral row of scales ; another through 

 the third, extending from the head to the tail, then approximating 

 and passing on the first and second rows, one third the length of 

 the tail ; on the neck an oblique line, between them ; a broader 

 stripe of the same color separates the back and sides, includes a 

 row, and half the two adjoining rows of scales, and extends from 

 the eye to the middle of the tail becoming narrower on the tail ; 

 another somewhat obscure line of the same color, extends from 

 the lower angle of the tympanum to the tail where it is lost ; legs 

 above of the color of the back with three irregular dark longi- 

 tudinal stripes, the central one wider ; sides and trunk beneath 

 with a tinge of yellow on the latter j tail and legs beneath pale 

 lead color. 



The species sometimes attains a size from J to f larger than 

 the specimen from which this description was drawn. It proba- 

 bly belongs to the genus Siliqua of Gray. Frequents houses. 

 Found, though rarely, in Detroit. 



This drawing represents the upper surface of the 

 head. 



