i6o NATURE-STUDY 



same. They are found in damp or wet places, under stumps 

 and logs, and they lay their eggs in jelly-like masses in the 

 water. There are several rather common forms. 



The Spotted Salamander is seen most frequently. It is a 

 soft-skinned, sluggish creature, black above and spotted with 

 yellow blotches. 



In the Eastern States there are other common salamanders, 

 the Newts, or Efts, and the Tritons. The first, if found in 

 the water, is green in color, spotted red on the back, and it 

 has a flat tail. A variety of this species (Red Eft) lives out 

 of the water and is red on the back. 



The Red Triton is about twice as long as the newts, six 

 inches, and is red on the back, spotted with brown. It lives 

 in pools and streams. ' 



Another salamander-like creature occasionally caught in 

 our rivers is the Mud-puppy. This looks like a large, heavy 

 salamander, and attains a length of two feet. It has external 

 branching gills, however, and does not leave the water. Its 

 color is brown. 



These salamanders are not venomous and may be handled 

 with impunity. They make interesting animals for the 

 aquarium or moist cage. 



Reptiles differ from amphibians in that they have a scaly, 

 or plated, skin, and clawed feet (if any), and that their eggs 

 hatch directly into young resembling the old, which breathe 

 by means of lungs from the time of hatching, without pass- 

 ing through the tadpole stage. The following is a brief 

 description of some of the different orders. 



Our Lizards are active httle creatures that hke to bask in 

 the sun. They are slender, long-tailed, and have four legs. 

 Their bodies are covered with scales. They feed upon in- 



