NEWTS AND SALAMANDERS. 
294 
producing living young, this species differs in that never more than two are 
born at a time. The most remarkable circumstance connected with the repro¬ 
duction of the species is, however, that from thirty to forty eggs are found in the 
oviducts of the females, out of which only one develops in each oviduct, at 
the cost of the remainder, which form a glutinous mass surrounding the develop¬ 
ing egg, and in which the liberated tadpole can afterwards freely move. There 
are also some fifteen unimpregnated eggs in each oviduct, which serve as the food 
of the newly-hatched tadpole. The tadpole, which does not attain its full size till 
after birth, lies in the oviduct of the female with its tail curled, but is capable of 
moving and even turning round. Its gills are of unusual length, being nearly 
half as long as the whole body; but before birth these shrivel up and are repre¬ 
sented by mere knobs, so that the whole of the tadpole stage is passed through 
within the maternal body. Tadpoles that have been taken from the oviduct 
before completing their development will, however, live in water like those of the 
other species; thus proving that the species originally went through a temporary 
aquatic existence. Although the two young salamanders are generally born at 
the same time, occasionally one develops more rapidly than the other, so that 
there may be an interval of several days between the births of the two. At the 
pairing-seasons these salamanders enter the water for a few hours, but are other¬ 
wise purely terrestrial The third representative of the genus is the Caucasian 
salamander (S. caucasica), distinguished from both the others by the tail being 
longer than the head and body. In colour this species is black, with irregular 
rows of round yellow spots down the back. 
Spanish. This species (Chioglossct lusitanica ) is the sole representative 
salamander. 0 f a genus distinguished from the last by the tongue being supported 
on a median protrusile pedicle, and consequently free everywhere except on the 
front half of the median line. Considerably smaller than the spotted salamander, 
this species is dark brown in colour, rather lighter above than below, with two 
broad reddish golden bands along the body, separated from one another by a dark 
line along the middle of the back. It inhabits the north-western districts of Spain 
and the whole of Portugal. 
Newt ^ The newts (genus Molge ) form an extensive group, of aquatic 
habits, spread over Europe, Northern Asia, and North America, and 
are the only members of the order found within the limits of the British Islands. 
Having the same number of toes as the salamanders, they are distinguished by 
the highly compressed and rudder-like tail, as well as by the frequent presence 
of a Un-like crest down the middle of the back, which often attains a special 
development in the males during the breeding-season. With the exception of the 
crested newt, the skull differs from that of the salamanders by the presence of a 
ligamentous or bony arch connecting the frontal with the squamosal bone; and 
the palatine teeth form two nearly straight or slightly curved series. The tongue 
is free along the sides* but may be either attached or more or less free behind. 
The genus may be divided into two main groups, according to the presence or 
absence of a crest down the middle of the back of the males; and each of 
these may be further subdivided according to the characters of the so-called 
fronto-squamosal arch. 
