Dr. Mitckill on the Proteus of Lake Erie. 65 



thought I perceived between my animal and yours, I ven- 

 tured to introduce my new acquaintance to the public as a 

 Proteus. 



But there were difficulties in the execution of my wish to 

 procure his reception under that title. Other animals of the 

 same family, and supposed to belong to the same species 

 had been observed by several of my friends. Certain of 

 these gentlemen entertained ideas of classification different 

 from mine. Their sentiments on this })oint merited due re- 

 gard. Under these circumstances, I felt myself both wil- 

 ling and able to attempt a meihodical distribution of these 

 animals which had caused so much perplexity, and embar- 

 rassment to zoologists. 



Guided by a presumption that all the individuals of the 

 hell-bender race belonged to one and the same species, it 

 has been represented that he was a 'J'riton. 



Now, you know, that the Triton has been latterly discon- 

 tinued as a genus ; by reason of its being considered as 

 merely the larva of the Water-Salamander. That name, if 

 I recollect right was first introduced into zoology by Joseph 

 Nicolas Laurenti, in his Synopsis Reptilium, p. 37. He 

 defines the Triton as having " a body equal, cylindrically 

 round, somewhat verruciose, and scaleless ; tail compress- 

 ed and lance-shaped ; elegantly active in water." He enu- 

 merates eleven species. 



De la Cepede in his valuable history of oviparous quad- 

 rupeds and serpents, vol. 2. p. 211, et seq. treats of Sala- 

 manders with flat tails, otherwise known as newts and watev 

 or marsh lizards. He affirms the females of this section to 

 be so different from the males as to have been regarded a 

 distinct species, both by Linnaeus and Gronovius. And Pe- 

 tiver appears to have been deceived by the varieties of co- 

 lour and form in the females themselves, whereby some of 

 them were mistaken for males. He does not admit the 

 Mexican reptile, called Jlxolotl, to be any thing more than 

 a water Salamander. Triton and Proteus are not found in 

 his synoptical table. 



The genus, however, is retained, you know, by Dume- 

 ril in his Zoologie Analytique, p. 94 — 5. Triton embraces 

 according to him all the species of water Salamanders. He 

 says " they lay eggs and live in the water, at least until the 

 ^me of their fecundation. The species seem to be very 



Vol. VH.— No. 1. 9 



