360 



OKDERS OF AMPHIBIANS— INTRODUCTION 



legs, and live upon land at will. Of the 1,040 

 species of amphibians, only forty are without legs. 



An am-phib'i-oiis animal is not necessarily an 

 amphibian. The hippopotamus, the seal, sea-lion, 

 otter and crocodile are indeed very much at home 

 in water, but they are far above the Class Am- 

 phibia. They are by no means creatures of two 

 lives, and they do not pass through a larval stage 

 before attaining perfect form. 



Like the reptiles, the amphibians are confined 

 to the torrid and temperate zones, but a surpris- 

 ing number of species permanently inhabit some 

 very cold and inhospitable portions of the tem- 

 perate zone. With but very few exceptions, the 



amphibians are quite useless to man. The legs 

 of certain large species of frogs are prized by 

 epicures, but with this exception, civilized man 

 regards amphibians generally as inedible. Scien- 

 tifically, the Class is highly interesting, chiefly by 

 reason of the striking changes which so many of 

 its members undergo. As a subject for the class- 

 room and laboratory, frogs and toads are of well- 

 nigh universal availability. Unfortunately, how- 

 ever, too many courses in elementary zoology do 

 not forge beyond the frog. 



As usual in seeking an acquaintance with Nat- 

 ure, a very simple diagram places this Class of 

 animals on a clear and comprehensible basis. 



A BIRD'S-EYE VIEW OF THE CLASS AMPHIBIA. 



FAMILIES. 



TYPICAL SPECIES. 



ORDER 

 ECAUDATA: 



The Tailless 



Amphibians; 



Frogs and 



Toads. 



ORDER 

 URODELA: 



Tailed Am- 

 phibians. 



ORDER 

 APODA : 



Legless and 



worm-like 



Amphibians. 



Water-Frogs, ra'ni-dae, . 



Tree-Frogs, HY'LI-DAE, . 



I Toads, bv-fon'I-dae, 



Burrowing j pel-o-bat'1- 

 Toads, j dae, . . . 



Salamanders, \ sae-a-man'dri- 



I DAE, . . . 



Amphiumas, 



I AM-PHI-U'MI- 



( DAE, . . 



Mud-Puppies, pro-twi-dae, , 

 v Sirens, si-ren'i-dae, 



Caecilians, coe-ci-li'i-dae, 



( Common 



) Frog, 

 Bull-Frog, 

 Wood-Frog, 



Tree-Frog, 



j American 

 ( Toad, 



* Spade-Foot 

 i Toad, 



Axolotl, 

 Spotted Sala- 

 mander, 

 Newt, 



Hellbender, 



Congo 

 " Snake," 



( Menobranch- 

 us or Mud- 

 ( Puppy, 



Rana clamata. 



Rana catesbiana. 

 Rana sylvatica. 



Hyla versicolor. 

 Bujo lentiginosus. 



Scaphiopus holbrooki. 



Amblystoma mavortium. 

 Amblystoma punctatum. 

 Triton viridescens. 



Cryptobranchus (Menopoma) 

 alleghaniensis. 



Amphiuma means. 



I 



• A T ecturus 7naculatus. 



Mud-" Eel," Siren lacertina. 



Typtilonectes compressi- 

 cauda. 



