THE MUD "EEL' 



155 



THE TWO-LEGGED SALAMANDERS 



Sirenidae 



Near the foot of the Class Amphibia, we find the 

 Two-Legged Salamanders, of which there are only two 

 species, both American. Both look very much hke the Congo 

 "snake"; but the hind legs are totally absent, and external 

 gills are conspicuously present. The front ■ legs, which are 



IfKP^ 



''''^i!^"'^'^^ 

 ^%^':,"!^ 



SIREN SALAMANDER, OR MUD "EEL.' 



close behind the gills, are larger than in any other of the eel- 

 like salamanders, and are of some slight use. 



The Siren Salamander, or Mro "Eel,"^ of our south- 

 eastern states, has four toes on its feet, thi-ee pairs of gill- 

 openings, a smooth skin of a dull-black color, and when fully 

 adult a length of about '24 inches. The habitat and habits 

 of this creature correspond closely to those of the Congo 

 "snake" of the southern rice-fields and swamps. 



' Si'ren la-cer-ti'na. 



