INTEODUCTION. 635 



greedily devoured eight additional ones. It eats worms and insects of 

 every kin^, but prefers bees and wasps. It will not touch a dead ani- 

 mal, even though just killed, but waits for its prey to stir before seizing 

 it. On taking bees and wasps, instead of shallowing them immediately, 

 it presses them between its jaws until death occurs, and thus avoids 

 their sting. 



When an insect drops before a toad at rest, the latter immediately 

 arouses from its torpor, and with animation moves towards its prey. It 

 halts, pointer-like, at a proper distance, and finally with lightning-like 

 swiftness darts out its tongue and brings the animal into its mouth. A 

 miss of its mark is not followed by a second attempt until the insect 

 begins to move. 



As these animals hybernate, are cold blooded and sluggish, they can go 

 for a long time without food. Hallowell kept a Proteus anguinus thir- 

 teen months without nourishment, and, so far as observed, the animal 

 suiSered no inconvenience. And yet there is a limitation to their 

 powers of endurance. The stories so often repeated about finding them 

 immured in rocks cannot be sustained ; in all these cases probably some 

 cavity, by which they had entered when small, and through which they 

 continued to receive air and food, had probably been overlooked. At all 

 events it has been experimentally proved that toads cannot live twelve 

 months when deprived of air, nor two years without food. 



In regard to the tailed Amphibians, they are all insectivorous, Spelerpes 

 porphyriticus having been observed in the very act of eating ilies, while 

 the contents of the stomach in others leaves no doubt as to their diet. 

 Thus, in Notophthalmus viridescens or Crimson Triton was found insects, 

 spiders, physa, and lymnea; in Plethodon erythronotus were small moUusks ; 

 while in Spelerpes ruber or Red Salamander occured worms, elytra of beetles, 

 and the remains of other salamanders. In like manner Salamandra 

 maculosa has been shown to eat flies, beetles, young snails, and worms. 

 Menobranchvs lateralis undoubtedly feeds upon Annelids and Libellula 

 larvae, while Menopoma alleghaniends, the Alleghany Hellbender eats 

 worms, fish, crawfish, and the like. 



Lizards are insectivorous, though as to their additional articles of diet 

 the writer as yet has no information. 



Turtles undoubtedly vary in their food. Qiatudo clausa has been seen 

 to eat insects and an Agaric or mushroom ; the Green and Gopher Tur- 

 tles are vegetarian, the latter being fond of sweet potatoes, melons, and 

 bulbous roots, and injuring gardens ; Chrysemys pkta, the Painted Tur- 

 tle, and Nantmys guttafus, the Spotted Tortoise, eat worms, insects, frogs, 

 aquatic reptiles, and probably also the water plantain ; Chelydra serpentina, 



