i8o 



THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



salamanders emerge from the eggs with traces of external gills, 

 which are soon absorbed. 



The Water Newt, Diemyctylus viridescens Rafinesque (Fig. 



14), is of medium size. The body is rather stout; the tail very 



flat and fin-like. Dark olive or green above, on which 

 Water 

 jjg^^_ are scattered numerous small black dots ; on each side 



of the back is a row of small round spots of brilliant 



vermilion or brick red and bordered with narrow rings of black. 



The abdomen and lower sides of the body are pale yellow, which 



FIG- 14. THE WATER NEWT 

 From specimen in Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 



meets in abrupt contrast the olive of the upper surface; this 

 pale color is thickly covered with small black dots. On the head 

 the line of meeting of the dark and light colors is slightly below 

 the center of the eye. 



The tail is ven,^ thin and at all times shows traces of fin-like 

 edges, this character being particularly noticeable with the males 

 during the autumn and the spring. Compared with the size of 

 the body the limbs are large and well developed. Male speci- 

 mens may be distinguished from the females by the large 

 and stock\^ appearance of the hind limb, the lower joint of 



which is flattened and very wide, and in appearance quite out of 



[26] 



