THE 



SIREN. 



Generic Character. 

 Body two-footed, tailed, naked. 

 Feet brachiate (/'. e. placed in the manner of 

 arms), and furnifhed with claws. 



Specific Ch a racter. 

 SIREN with an eel-fhaped body, and ramified 

 branchne, or refpiratory organs. 



The Siren ftands eminently diftinguimed in the lift 

 of animals by the ambiguity of its characters, which 

 are fuch as to have induced the great Linnjeus to in- 

 ftitute for it a new order of Amphibia, under the title 

 of Meantes ; an order however which does not ftand 

 amongft the Amphibia in the Syftema Naturae, but is 

 mentioned in a note at the end of the fecond part of 

 Vol. I. of that work. 



The genus with which the Siren has evidently the 

 greater! poffible affinity, is that of Lacerta or Lizard. 

 It even very much refembles the larva, or firft ftate of 

 a lacerta ; and it is ftill doubtful whether it may not 

 really be fuch ; but it has never been obferved in any 

 other ftate, and it has always two feet only,, without 

 any appearance of a hind-pair. It likewife has all the 

 characters of an animal in its complete Itate ; the feet 

 jn particular, are armed with claws,, whereas the larvse 

 of all the lacertae are without claws, or in the L,inn^ean 

 phrafe, digitis muticis. The mouth has fcVeral rows 

 of fmailim teeth. 



