368 
ORDERS OP AMPHIBIANS— TAILED AMPHIBIANS 
and the swift-running streams of the Dusky 
Salamander } 
Very frequently, salamanders are found un- 
derneath fallen trees, or stones, or under the 
bark of decaying logs ; and on the western prairie 
farms the plough-share turns into the broad 
light of day many a burrowing amphibian. 
On the whole, the Spotted Salamander 3 ap- 
pears to be the best species with which to intro- 
duce the North American group. It is distinctly 
marked, and of wide distribution. Its length is 
6k inches, its body is broad and full, and its tail is 
shorter than its body. Above, its ground color 
is dark brown or black, on which is laid about 
thirty irregular yellow spots. The Spotted 
Salamander of Europe is a different species, its 
light markings being in the form of elongated 
patches or bands. Except for its external gills, 
the larva of this species looks much like an 
ordinary tadpole; but with transformation the 
gills disappear. Occasionally this species is 
found in spring-houses and cellars. 
THE NEWTS, OR TRITONS. 
Pleurodelidae. 
Although quite abundant in the Old World, 
(sixteen species), the newts are represented in 
America by only two species. All these tiny 
creatures inhabit water during the breeding sea- 
1 Des-mog-na'thus fus'ca. 
2 Am-blys’to-ma punc-ta'tum. 
son, but at its close, some species leave it, and 
live for a period upon land, where their habits 
are much like those of terrestrial salamanders. 
Most species of newts look very much like 
small, weak, scaleless lizards, except that in some 
species the males, and in others both sexes, have 
broad fins on the tail, above and below. In 
some cases the upper fin is prolonged forward 
along the back, quite up to the head. 
Of our two species of Newts, the Crimson- 
Spotted Newt 3 endeavors to make up by its 
abundance for the scarcity of species of the Genus 
Triton in America. It is quoted 
by herpetologists as “very com- 
mon in ponds everywhere ” in 
the State of New York, and 
its known range embraces the 
northern and eastern portions 
of the United States. It is 
about 3^ inches long. Its color 
above is brown, or greenish- 
brown, with two rows of bright 
vermilion spots, in all from 6 
to 12. Its under surface is 
orange, marked with small black 
dots. Half-grown specimens are 
brownish-red, with the charac- 
teristic spots of bright red. 
This puny little animal in- 
habits deeper water than most 
salamanders, and swims freely, 
often in an upright position, in 
which the hind legs hang motionless while the 
tail does all the work. It feeds upon the larva of 
aquatic insects, worms, and very small mollusks. 
For schoolroom aquaria, Newts are more easily 
obtained than any other of the tailed amphib- 
ians, and they are easily kept. 
Our Newt has long been of much interest to 
American naturalists, and its complicated series 
of changes from the egg to adolescence have been 
carefully studied and reported upon. 4 
The Newt of western North America ( Triton 
torosus) is one of the largest of the genus, and 
attains a length of 6 inches. The tail is longer 
than the body, much flattened vertically, and is 
provided with a dorsal and ventral fin. The 
under parts are colored yellow. 
3 Di-e-myc'ty-lus vir-i-des'cens. 
4 See L. J. Gage in the American Naturalist, 1891, 
p. 1084. 
MENOPOMA, OR HELLBENDER. 
