A M P 
power, and will be furnished with new feet, 
tails, &c. when those parts have by any ac- 
cident been destroyed. Many are highly 
beautiful in their colours, as well as elegant 
in their forms ; while others, on the contrary, 
are, in the common acceptation of the 
words, extremely deformed, and of un- 
pleasing colours. Their bodies are some- 
times defended by a hard, horny shield, or 
covering ; sometimes rather by a coriaceous 
integument ; sometimes by scales, and some- 
times have no particular defence or coat- 
ing ; the skin being merely marked by soft, 
pustular warts or protuberances, more or 
less visible in the different species. The 
bones of the Amphibia, except in a very few 
instances, are of a more cartilaginous nature 
than in either the Mammalia or Birds: 
many species are destitute of ribs, while 
others have those parts very numerous: 
some are furnished with formidable teeth ; 
others are toothless: some are fierce and 
predacious; others inoffensive. Few, ex- 
cept among the serpent-tribe, are of a poi- 
sonous nature ; the general prejudice against 
them having arisen rather on account of their 
form than from any real poisonous quality ; 
but among the serpents, we meet with some 
species possessed of the most dreadful poi- 
son, as well as with the power of applying 
it with fatal force to the animals which they 
attack. The number of poisonous serpents 
is, however, not so great as was formerly 
imagined; perhaps not more than a sixth 
part of the whole number of known species 
being of that character. Among no animals 
do we meet with beings of a more singular 
form than in the Amphibia ; some of which 
presentappea ranees so unusual, so grotesque, 
and so formidable, that even the imagina- 
tion of the poet or painter can hardly be 
supposed to exceed the realities of nature. 
The Amphibia in general are extremely te- 
nacious of life, and will continue to move, 
and exert many of their animal functions, 
even when deprived of the head itself. The 
experiments which have been occasionally 
mgde on these subjects, can hardly be re- 
cited without horror. The natural life of 
some of the Amphibia, more particularly of 
the tortoise tribe, ig extremely long; and 
even-to the smaller tribes of frogs and li- 
zards, a considerable space seems allotted. 
The same is also highly probable with re- 
spect to the serpent-tribe. By far the ma- 
jor part of the Amphibia are oviparous, 
some excluding eggs covered with a hard or 
calcareous shell, like those of birds ; others, 
such as are covered only with a tough skin, 
VOL. I. 
AMP 
resembling parchment ; and in many, they 
are perfectly gelatinous, without any kind 
of external covering, as in the spawn of the 
common frog. Some few are viviparous ; 
the eggs first hatching internally, and the 
young being afterwards excluded in their 
perfect form, as in the viper, &c. &c. In 
cold and temperate climates, most of the 
Amphibia pass the winter in a torpid state ; 
and that sometimes in a degree of cold 
which would seem but ill calculated for the 
preservation of animal life. The common 
large water-newt, in particular, is said to 
have been occasionally found completely 
imbedded in large masses of ice, in which it 
must have remained inclosed for a very con- 
siderable period ; and yet, on the dissolu- 
tion of the ice, has been restored to life. 
The Amphibia may be divided into four 
distributions, viz. Testudines, Ran®, La- 
cert®, and Serpentes ; or Tortoises, Frogs, 
Lizards, and Serpents. The animals belong- 
ing to the three former of these divisions 
constitute the order entitled Reptilia, con- 
taining the Amphibia Pedata, or Footed 
Amphibia. The last division, or that of 
Serpents, constitutes the order Serpentes ; 
containing the Amphibia Apoda, or Foot- 
less Amphibia. 
AMPH1TRITE, a genus of worms,' of 
the order Mollusca: body projecting from a 
tube, and annulate : penduneles or feet small, 
numerous ; feelers two, approximate, feather- 
ed ; no eyes. There are seven species : of 
which the A. reniformis, with a rounded 
body and simple feelers, is three inches 
long, and inhabits the seas about Iceland. 
The body is of a most beautiful red: head 
defended by two semicircular arches : plumes 
fourteen; and alternately red and white: 
annulations of the body from 80 to 90, with 
each a minute tubercle on each side : tail 
pointed, and not jointed : tube red, tough, 
coriaceous, simple, and four inches long. 
AM PH I, SB- 'ENA, in natural history, a 
genus of Serpents, of which the generic cha» 
racter is, body eylindric, equal; annular 
divisions on body and tail. According to 
Gmelin there are five species; but Dr. Shaw 
mentions two only, viz. the Alba and the 
luliginosa. The whole genus is allied to 
that of the Anguis, and in some degree to 
the Lacerta ; it is, however, readily distin- 
guished by the manner in which the exterior 
surface of its skin is marked in w ell-defined 
numerous circles or rings, completely sur- 
rounding the body, and divided in a longi- 
tudinal direction by still more numerous 
straight lines; thus forming so many square 
