214 *SYr Everard Home’s reasons for giving 
the syren, and the axolotl ; and these three when compared 
together, appear to be equally complete animals. 
This opinion is strengthened by the observation, that the 
parts of the rana paradoxa which are removed when it 
becomes a frog, contain no bone, all the tail beyond the 
pelvis being soft cartilage. The same remark holds good 
with respect to the larva of the salamander, and I should 
believe with all other larvae. 
From this statement it appears, that the proteus from 
Germany, the syren from Carolina, and the axolotl from 
Mexico, not only agree in having lungs and gills, and there- 
fore capable of breathing both in air and water ; but in 
having feet, and cupped vertebrae, and therefore capable of 
employing both the mode of progressive motion of land ani- 
mals and of fishes; and whatever variations there may be 
among themselves, yet as they all possess these two great 
distinguishing characters, which no other animals have, they 
must be allowed to form a distinct tribe, or more properly 
a distinct class, which, not to multiply terms, I shall call 
Proteus, till a more appropriate name is given. 
The fossil skeleton resembles the Proteus tribe in having 
feet and cupped vertebrae, but differs from it in having long 
ribs attached to a regularly formed sternum, admitting of the 
chest being very capacious, and also in having no arches 
fitted for gills ; it cannot therefore be called a Proteus, al- 
though allied to it, in having two modes of progressive mo- 
tion. It resembles the lacerta in its mode of breathing, but 
differs from it in the mode of setting on the ribs on the spine, 
the form of the legs and feet, and the bony plates of the eye 
balls ; it cannot therefore be called a lizard. 
