220 BULLETIN 34, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



by anatomists. The first is that there is a little lobe of sliiu forming 

 the anterior boundary of the gill opening and another forming the pos- 

 terior border. These can be very closely applied to each other, and seem 

 to form a very eflBcient valvular apparatus, by means of which this use- 

 less relic of its larval life may be closed up. The other structure is con- 

 nected with the mouth. The lower lip is formed of a fold of skin that 

 is sei)arated from the skin of the throat by a deep groove that runs 

 from the corner of the mouth to near the symphysis. This fold has a 

 thin sharp edge, and is directed downward and outward. The upper 

 lip also has a sharp edge, which, when the mouth is closed, widely and 

 closely overlaps the lower lip. This arrangement of the lips and that 

 of the gill opening seems to me to have relation to the burrowing habits 

 of these animals, and are designated to iirevent the mouth and pharynx 

 from being filled with mud. 



The eggs of the Amphiume are the most remarkable that 1 know of 

 as occurring among the Amphibians. The young, which now constitute 

 the whole contents of the eggs, are surrounded by a transparent capsule 

 about as thick as writing paper, and these capsules are connected by a 

 slender cord of similar substance. It is as if the gelatinous mass sur- 

 rounding the eggs of the toad should become condensed into a solid 

 covering and a connecting cord. How many strings there are of these 

 eggs I can not determine with certainty, on account of their being in- 

 extricably intertwined ; but, since there are four ends visible, there are 

 probably two strings, one for each oviduct. For the same reason I have 

 not been able to count the eggs. A careful estimate makes at fewest 

 150 of them. 



"The eggs in their present state are nearly globular, and average 

 about 9™'" in diameter. Their distance apart on the string varies from 

 5 to 12'""'; fourteen of them were counted on a piece of the string 9 

 inches long. At this rate the whole mass would form a string about 8 

 feet long. The connecting cord varies from 1.5™™ to one-half that di- 

 ameter. The eggs greatly resemble a string of large beads. 



"The young are coiled within the capsules in a spiral form. On re- 

 moving them and straightening them they measure about 45™"' iu length. 

 The color is dusky above, with indications of a darker dorsal stripe, and 

 on each side a similar darker band. Below the color is pale. The body 

 is proportionally stouter than in the adult and the head broader. The 

 fore and the hind feet have each three toes. 



"The young possess conspicuous gills ; and, since they are evidently 

 near the i^eriod of hatching, it is but fair to suppose that they would 

 continue to retain these gills for some time after exclusion. The gills 

 are three in number on each side, and are simply pinnate in form. The 

 median gill is longest, measuring some 9'"'" in length. From its main 

 axis there arise about ten delicate twigs. The other gills are somewhat 

 shorter, and give origin to about eight lateral twigs each. In all these 

 filaments may be seen the blood-vessels filled with the large blood-cor- 



