ORDER BATRACHIA. 405 



Their head is flatted ; the ear concealed entirely 

 under the flesh, without any tympanum, but only 

 with a small cartilaginous plate on the fenestra 

 ovalis ; the two jaws furnished with numerous and 

 small teeth, two longitudinal ranges of similar teeth 

 in the palate, but attached to the bones which re- 

 present the vomer ; the tongue as in the frogs ; no 

 third eyelid ; a skeleton with very small rudiments 

 of ribs, but without an osseous sternum ; a pelvis 

 suspended to the spine by ligaments ; four toes in 

 front, and almost always five behind. In the adult 

 state, they respire like the frogs and tortoises ; their 

 tadpoles respire at first by gills, of a tufted form, 

 three in number on each side of the neck, which 

 are afterwards obliterated ; they are suspended to 

 cartilaginous arches, some parts of which remain in 

 the hyoid bone of the adult. These apertures are 

 covered by a membranous opercle, but the tufts 

 are never enclosed in a tunic, and float externally. 

 The front feet are developed before the hinder. 

 The toes push out one another in succession. 



The Land Salamanders, Salamandra, Laur., 



Have, in the perfect state, the tail round ; they re- 

 main in the water only during their tadpole state, 

 which does not last long, or when they bring forth. 

 The eggs exclude in the oviductus. 



Our terrestrial species have on each side, on the 

 occiput, a gland analogous to that of the toads. 



