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ends-and when they touch, weld together, and their surfaces become metallic, like graphite.

Diamonds heated in charcoal tubes were suddenly changed and became conductors. Still more remarkable effects were produced when he used collaterally with the 600 Bunsens 135 Muncké with zincs 13 in. high and 193 in. wide. With these sugar-charcoal was volatilised immediately.

I think it may be inferred from these facts that even at the temperature of a powerful electric arc enough charcoal vapour may be present to form its spectrum, and there is little doubt that the temperature of discharge of a good inductorium combined with a sufficient condenser is still hotter than the arc.

It is to be noticed that Despretz in these experiments anticipated Dr. Siemens's electric furnace. He mentions that he fused 3750 grains of platinum in a few minutes, and could have done more had he had a larger crucible.

A Case of Fascination

R.

SOME years ago it was my fortune to witness a case of "fascination" between a large striped snake and a medium-sized toad. When first seen they were about fifteen inches apart. The snake lay in a coil with its head thrust out towards its victim, and moving slowly, its eyes glittering and its tongue darting incessantly.

The toad was standing on the very tips of its claws, with its limbs rigidly drawn up to their full length, its eyes fixed upon its captor and fairly bursting from their sockets, its mouth covered with foam, and its whole body swaying to and fro, and seeming just ready to pitch forward upon its face.

The movement of the snake became more and more rapid, and the agitation of the toad more intense, until the space between them was reduced to some three or four inches, when the snake opened wide its mouth, and the laboured breathing of its victim stopped short in a low guttural moan.

At this point my own agitation became so great that, seizing a heavy stone, I finished the snake at one blow. The instant the snake was struck the toad fell backward as suddenly as though itself had been hit, and lay upon its back for some minutes with no signs of life. At length it gained its feet and began to creep languidly away. J. T. BROWNELL

Lyons, N. Y., January 18

Birds Laying in January

As a proof of the unusual mildness of the weather just previous to the intense frost and severe snowstorms most parts of the country have lately been suffering from, it may interest some of your readers to learn that not far from this place, on the 13th Jan., a wren's nest with seven eggs in it, quite fresh, was taken. The nest I have in my possession, and it bears every evidence of having been lately tenanted. The eggs, I am sorry to say, are broken; they were placed in a cup for safety, and were most unfortunately knocked down when the room was dusted, giving however unmistakable proof of their having been but lately laid. I do not know whether there is any instance on record of a wren's nest having been found in January before. JOHN H. WILLMORE Queenwood College, near Stockbridge, Hants, January 28

Vibration of Telegraph Wires during Frost WHILE walking with my son by the Liverpool, Crosby, and Southport Railway between Crosby and Hall Road stations he called my attention to the telegraph wires, which were in a state of rapid vibration. The day was frosty, the time 11.30 a.m., and the sun, which had been showing us a bright disk through the haze, was beginning to throw out rays and shine a little strongly. At first I thought the movement must be only apparent -a mere optical delusion-as the air was perfectly calm. A closer examination convinced me to the contrary, as the under part of the wires were covered with pendant ice needles, a sort of rime, which moved to and fro indicating a torsional or twisting vibration of the wires, and as the rapidity of the vibrations decreased this was more clearly seen. In about five minutes the movement ceased, and I have not noticed it since, though I have frequently passed under the wires on my way to skate. Can any of your correspondents account for the phenomenon? It appeared as if in some way connected with previous contraction by the frost and sudden expansion in jerks by the sun's rays. My son informs

me that two years ago, during a frost, he noticed the strained wires of a garden-fence behaving in the same curious way. Park Corner, Blundellsands T. MELLARd Reade

"Mock Sun"

I SEND a sketch of a parhelion which I saw from the East Cliff, Hastings, on Thursday, January 20, at 3 p.m. The crescents above the sun were fairly bright and well developed, and there were faint traces of a second ring outside, and some distance from, the first.

Sea Level

There was a slight fog at the time, with a north-east wind and hard frost, which has continued up to this time. We have had no snow here since that "terrible Tuesday," the 18th. I do not remember ever having seen this phenomenon before, except in pictures of the Arctic Regions. St. Leonards, January 24 J. E. H. PEYTON

ON SOME RECENT CHARTS AND MAPS OF CURVES OF EQUAL MAGNETIC VARIATION OR DECLINATION

SINCE the year 1701, when Halley published his

famous chart showing curves of equal magnetic variation for the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, the construction of similar charts, amended and enlarged as data increased, has been of great interest to magnetic science and of practical value to the navigator.

Halley's chart of 1701 was expanded to embrace the navigable parts of the whole world, and brought up to the epoch 1756 by Mountaine and Dodson, whose labours were followed by those of Churchman in 1794, Yeates in 1817, and Hansteen (for several distinct epochs between 1600 and 1787) in 1819. In 1833 Barlow's chart, together with curves for the North Polar regions, accompanied a descriptive paper in the Phil. Trans. for that year.

In 1840 Gauss and Weber's charts of theoretical curves of the three magnetic elements for the whole world, including special Polar charts, were published. These curves were culculated on the basis of a mathematical theory founded upon a large number of observations fairly distributed over the surface of the globe.

About this latter period the practice of ascertaining the errors of the compass on shipboard (as due to the effects of iron) for every ship in the Royal Navy, at certain periods and on change of magnetic latitude, was established by the Admiralty on the recommendation of a compass committee specially appointed to consider the question of compass efficiency and management. This, as bearing on the subject under review, was an important step towards obtaining reliable data for the construction of Variation charts now becoming so essential an element in navigation.

Following on this, Archibald Smith's mathematical investigations of the theory of the deviations of the compass on board ship enabled Sabine to correct observations made in the Atlantic and the Antarctic Oceans

with great precision. The charts accompanying Sabine's "Contributions to Terrestrial Magnetism," No. ix. (Phil. Trans. 1849), were among the earliest on which the data whence the curves were drawn are recorded, although it may be observed that even a portion of the observations made at sea and utilised in these charts had no corrections applied to them for the effects of the ship's iron.

Considering the local magnetic disturbance found to exist on land in many regions and the large area of watercovered portions of the globe, observations made at sea, when systematically carried out and corrected for local attraction in the ship, have become an important factor in ascertaining the magnetic variation for the use of navigators at any given epoch.

Evans's Variation chart for the epoch 1858, embracing the navigable parts of the world, and in which the whole of the observations made at sea were corrected for the effects of the ship's iron, was published by the Admiralty. A further advance on Variation charts of an earlier date was the addition to this of a map showing the amount of annual change of the variation as determined at several localities, enabling reductions for the succeeding ten years to be made with a reasonable approach to the truth.

The increase of iron-built and composite vessels in late years has rendered a reliable Variation chart a necessary adjunct to navigation. This object appears to have been kept steadily in view by the Hydrographic Department of the Admiralty, for, in 1871, a new edition of the "Variation Chart of the World," reduced to that epoch (with polar charts added) was published in continuation of the chart for 1858. This chart was the result of the joint labours of Capt. Evans and a member of the compass department, Navigating-Lieut. Creak, R.N.

We have now to notice the more recent publications of these contributions to terrestrial magnetism. A chart of the curves for 1880, in continuation of those for the epochs 1858 and 1871, by Staff-Commander Creak, has been published by the Admiralty. In its construction the observations made during the voyage of H.M.S. Challenger (1872-76) have been introduced, and amongst results from other sources, specially those taken from Mr. A. Schott's papers on the secular change of the variation published as Appendix No. 8 to the U.S. Coast Survey Report for 1874, and also as a preliminary publication to the Report for 1879; Dr. Thorpe's observations in the United States, made about the 40th parallel of latitude, and results from the maps of the excellent magnetic survey of a large portion of the Eastern Archipelago in 1874-77, made by Dr. Rijckevorsel, have also been included.

As confined to special portions of the world a map of the United States for the epoch 1875, constructed by Mr. J. E. Hilgard, Assistant U.S. coast and geodetic surveys, published in the American Journal of Science for March, 1880, and illustrating an article on the subject of magnetic variation or declination, is of a high order of excellence.

In this map the curves, which show several flexures strictly pourtraying results arising from local disturbance, have been drawn for every degree of [equal] variation. The results are from observations made during the progress of the U.S. Coast Survey up to 1877, also from about 200 observations made in the interior of the country under the direction of Mr. Hilgard, to which were added every available observation from the land and boundary surveys, as well as those of private observers. Many of these results having been obtained at different periods of time, have been reduced to the given epoch by means of Mr. A. Schott's paper on Secular Change before referred to.

Although in maps and charts covering large geographical areas the variation lines for the land portions are generally drawn in regular curves (and so far deviating from strict accuracy), whilst those for the larger sea areas

are necessarily so done, still in delineating the magnetic features of a portion of a continent the system followed by Mr. Hilgard, as also by Lamont in his European surveys between 1850 and 1860, commends itself for accuracy.

The late Prof. A. D. Bache, who took a personal interest in the study of terrestrial magnetism, bequeathed a fund for scientific research. The expenses of obtaining the 200 observations in the interior of the United States before mentioned, were defrayed by a grant from this fund.

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THE ZOOLOGICAL STATION AT NAPLES

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HAT is a zoological station?" is a question we have often heard asked when Dr. Dohrn's institution at Naples is under discussion. A "zoological station" (according to Dr. Dohrn), we may reply, is a kind of zoological garden for marine animals, or what is commonly called an aquarium," only that, contrary to the usual practice at Brighton, Westminster, and elsewhere, the scientific element of the establishment is mostly cultivated instead of the popular branch. Such at least is the case under Dr. Dohrn's system, and also, we believe, in other zoological stations that have been formed after his example.

It must be recollected that the lower forms of organic life, to the study of which zoological stations, as thus described, are mainly devoted, are much more numerous than the vertebrata, and much less understood. Even in our own seas a vast amount remains to be done before our knowledge of the thousands of marine organisms which populate our waters and shores can be deemed to be anything like complete. Still more is this the case in the Mediterranean, where under a bright sky and burning sun the clear waters teem with animal life in all its varieties. It was no doubt the well-known productiveness of the coast of Naples and the facilities offered for dredging in its land-locked Bay that induced Dr. Dohrn to fix his "Zoological Station" in this quarter instead of planting it on the shores of his Fatherland.

After several years of incessant labour Dr. Dohrn has got his establishment into excellent working order, and, as will be seen by our advertisement pages, promises us after so much cultivation a rich and abundant harvest. The proper subject to take up when the publication of results was determined upon was obviously the Biology of the Bay of Naples. Great difficulties however beset the advance of this project. As regards the Fishes, the more highly-organised Crustaceans, the Mollusca, and some of the Coelenterata and Echinodermata, it appeared possible for the students at the Zoological Station to avail themselves largely of the results arrived at by former workers. But when they proceeded to examine into the scattered literature in which the innumerable armies of Lower Crustaceans, Annelids, Nemertians, Planarians, Nematodes, and such-like creatures are described, the case was very different. The ancient naturalists have mostly characterised their species in these groups in such vague diagnoses that it is impossible to identify them. Under such circumstances the students of the higher animals are accustomed to resort to the type-specimens whence the descriptions were taken in order to see what the authors really intended. But the impossibility of preserving many of the lower animals cuts this resource away from the marine zoologists, who have consequently contented themselves in some instances with referring their specimens to species never sufficiently described, in other cases with describing them as new. Hence has arisen a mass of confusion which can be only regarded as parallel to what existed among the more highly-organised animals in the ante-Linnean period. The transformations undergone by many of the lower marine animals and the extraordinary sexual differences add

greatly to the difficulties already spoken of. Even when an animal of one form is gravely suspected to be merely the immature stage or corresponding sex of another form it is most difficult to prove it, and it frequently requires a whole series of researches conducted by practised biologists with logical exactitude to show that such is really the case.

Under these circumstances, even with the now rich collections and well-stored library of the Zoological Station, it was a serious question how the proposed "History of the Life of the Bay of Naples" could be best accomplished. Dr. Dohrn has wisely adopted the project of attacking the fortress by a number of small approaches. By dividing the labour into a large series of restricted monographs he hopes finally to accomplish a complete account of the fauna and flora of the Bay of Naples. In the first place, under this system each of his assistants can thus take up the group he is most familiar with, and work it out. Then in this way he is likewise able to secure the contributions of various naturalists who pay temporary visits to the Zoological Station, but who would not bind themselves to join in an extensive general work on the whole subject.

It will be seen by reference to our advertising columns that Dr. Dohrn's scheme thus elaborated is now on the eve of execution. Two of the proposed monographic memoirs on the Ctenophoræ by Dr. Cheen of Leipsic, and on the Fishes of the genus Fierasfer, by Prof. Emery of Cagliari, are already issued, and three other memoirs are announced as being in preparation for the present year. Dr. Dohrn is quite cosmopolitan in his arrangements. Though, as might have been expected, the greater number of his fellow-workers are natives of the Fatherland, he has many Italian co-operators, and the monographs may be written in German, Italian, English, or French. It is with some regret we observe that no English naturalist is yet on the list of contributors, although, as is well known, many of our countrymen have done good work on Dr. Dohrn's "tables." We trust that English recruits may still be enlisted in so good a cause, and that the "Fauna and Flora of the Bay of Naples" may attain to a goodly list of subscribers, and be brought to a satisfactory conclusion.

CHARLES FREDERIC KUHLMANN

WE regret to record the death, at Lille, during the past

week, of Charles F. Kuhlmann, the distinguished French chemist and economist. Born at Colmar, May 22, 1803, he pursued his scientific studies under Vauguelin at Strassburg, and later at Paris. In 1832 he was appointed Professor of Applied Chemistry at Lille. Soon after he devoted himself almost exclusively to the practical solution of the problems of manufacturing chemistry, and established at Lille extensive works, which rank today among the important chemical manufactories of the world. During the past forty years he has been a prominent figure in the industrial, scientific, and even political circles of France, attracting general admiration by a remarkable combination of inventive power and executive ability. The Government named him Commander of the Légion d'Honneur, and the French Academy of Sciences elected him a corresponding member, in recognition of his important services, while he was frequently called upon to occupy prominent posts of responsibility in public life and commercial undertakings. His failing health during the past year forced him to decline one of the leading honours in the scientific world of France, the presidency of the Société Française pour l'Avancement des Sciences.

As an investigator Kuhlmann was a prominent member of that group of Alsatian chemists which includes Wurtz, Friedel, and Schützenberger, and forms the chief school of modern French chemistry. His researches, extending

over nearly every department of inorganic chemistry, and touching on the tinctorial branches of organic chemistry, are characterised by a broad range of knowledge, a happy application of fact and theory, and a marked reverence for the demands of pure chemistry, while contributing so notably to the advancement of applied science.

First among his great researches mention should be made of that on baryta compounds, made over twenty years since, and by means of which he created the entire industry of this important group of salts. Another investigation, scarcely less valuable, was that made a few years previously, which led to the introduction of the process of saturation in the manufacture of sugar. Equally prolific of practical results were his extensive studies on the crystallisation of insoluble bodies, on the chemistry of mortars and cements, of manures, of bleaching, of dyeing and printing, and of numerous other branches. Especially interesting were his researches (1847) on the formation of nitric acid from ammonia, and on the relation of this reaction to the fertility of the soil. Among his more purely scientific investigations mention should be made of those on the formation of ethers, on the formation of cyanides and of prussic acid, on nitrous oxide, on the use of oxide of iron as an oxidising agent for organic compounds, on the action of gases on minerals, on the use of gaseous hydrofluoric acid for the analysis of silicates, and on a variety of minerals. The subject of crystallisation was throughout his career of investigation one of Kuhlmann's favourites, and we are indebted to him for the artificial reproduction of a variety of natural minerals, the most novel of which are the pseudomorphic forms of protoxide of manganese, of the sulphides of copper and lead, and of these metals themselves.

In 1879 Kuhlmann gathered together his numerous researches, extending over a period of forty years, into a volume of 750 pages, in which we have a remarkable picture of his many-sided and untiring activity.

The deceased leaves behind him a son who has already obtained a name as a chemist, and who made an able report to the French Government on the Chemical Section of the Philadelphia Exhibition. T. H. N.

THE SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES OF DUBLIN

OF the scientific societies of Dublin two take special

rank as publishing societies; but from inquiries made of us we conclude that their publications are not everywhere known.

The Royal Irish Academy issues both Transactions of a quarto size and Proceedings in octavo. Of its series of Transactions 26 volumes have been published. Of these vols. I to 23 contained memoirs chiefly on Science, but occasionally on Polite Literature and Antiquities. Vol. 24 was divided into two sections-the first, Science; the second, Polite Literature and Antiquities. Vols. 25 and 26 were exclusively Science. Vol. 27, in course of publication, is devoted to Polite Literature and Antiquities; and vol. 28, which also is in course of publication, is devoted to Science. These quarto volumes contain from 600 to 700 pages each, with numerous plates and other illustrations. To give some idea of their contents we add the following analysis of vol. 26. It contains papers on Astronomical Subjects by Dr. Doberck (2), J. Birmingham, J. L. E. Dreyer, and C. E. Burton; on Meteorological Subjects, by Dr. H. Lloyd; on Geological Subjects, by Rev. Dr. S. Haughton, Dr. E. Hull, Dr. A. Leith Adams, and Prof. O'Reilly (2); on Mathematical Subjects, by J. C. Malet (3), Dr. A. S. Hart, Dr. J. Casey; on Biological Subjects, by Dr. R. J. Harvey, Dr. E. P. Wright (4), and W. H. Mackintosh; on Chemical Subjects, by H. N. Draper and R. J. Moss. The memoirs which form the volumes of Transactions are published shortly after they are read, and without waiting to form a part of a volume. The Proceedings, like the Transac

tions, now also form two series: the Science Parts being published twice a year, in December and April, and the Polite Literature and Antiquary Part once a year, in December. Quite recently the Academy have determined to publish another series of quarto Transactions under the title of "The Cunningham Memoirs," part 1 of the first volume of which, containing a memoir by Dr. John Casey, F.R.S., on Cubic Transformations, has just appeared.

The publications of the Royal Dublin Society are of the same type as those of the Irish Academy, except that they are exclusively confined to science. Of their new series of Transactions, parts I to 13 of volume I have been published, and for convenience of publication the first two parts of volume 2, containing "Observations of Nebula and Star Clusters, 1848-1878," by the Earl of Rosse, have also appeared. The first two volumes of these Proceedings have been published, and a part makes its appearance pretty regularly every third month. Following the example of the Academy, the memoirs forming the Transactions are published separately.

It would thus appear that not only is there evidence of scientific life among the societies of Dublin, but that there is also an abundant opportunity for the publication of any really valuable scientific information, and so far at least as the publications of the Irish Academy are concerned they fall in no respect as regards type, paper, or illustrations, behind the best of our London societies.

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DEAR SIR,-On reading the account of John Duncan in your last week's issue, it occurred to me that surely your readers would respond to your invitation to get up a small fund, say of 100%, to 2007., for the brave old man who has so long and perseveringly fought, and against all "odds," for the cause of science and mind. I enclose 54. towards the object. Should you see objections to opening a list in NATURE, please send on iny small dole to Mr. Jolly as he directs.

W. WESTGARTH

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CASSELL'S NATURAL HISTORY1 THE HE third volume of this useful cyclopædia of zoology consists of the concluding portion of the Birds by R. Bowdler Sharpe, and of the Reptiles and Amphibia by the Editor. On glancing over the well-printed and beautifully-illustrated pages, a few facts have struck us, to which, for the benefit of the series, we would call the editor's attention. In the opening sentence of Chapter I. of this volume we are referred to "the preceding chapters" for an account of the Picarian birds. The context proves it should be to the preceding volume. This, which might mislead the reader, is evidently the result of the publication of the work in parts, and could be easily avoided.

All through Mr. Sharpe's portion of the work, when the scientific names of birds are referred to they are "Cassell's Natural History." Edited by Prof. P. Martin Duncan, M.B., F.R.S. Vol. III. (London, Paris, and New York: Cassell, Petter, Galpin, and Co., 1880.)

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quoted generally within brackets in the same line as the popular name; while in the editor's special portion no such useful uniformity is attended to. Sometimes, as on p. 245, the eye has to wander from the text to foot-notes at the bottom of the page; sometimes, as at p. 248, the name is quoted after Mr. Sharpe's fashion (for a mixture of both styles see p. 362). The use of the word "kind,” when the editor refers to "species," is in our judgment, though perhaps sanctioned by its use in the English translation of the Bible, not happy. Thus we read that, while genera among the reptiles are abundant, "kinds are numerous. The kinds " of some families swim freely; some "kinds" have a skin; by the way, what kind of a reptile be it that has no skin? In other cases the word "member" instead of species is used. Is it not a mistake to say that in many Chelonians "the wellknown 'tortoise-shell' covers over all the hind parts.' Surely in Caretta squamosa the tortoise-shell plates cover over most of the carapace. While the families of the Chelonian order are given, we find, when we come to the Lacertine order, no intelligible mention of the families of the split-tongued lizards. In referring to the important paper on Archæopteryx by the Professor of Geneva, the editor ought to have seen that the name of Carl Vogt was correctly spelled. The divisions of the Snakes is such as must necessarily confuse any student. The suborder Thanatophidia is made to include two sub-orders in the text, when in the table of classification one of these sub-orders, Solenoglypha, is called a family. The groove-fanged Opisthoglypha are included with the AglyIn a work of this nature phodontia with solid teeth. nothing is, we take it, of more importance than that there should be some well-defined system of classification, not necessarily to be treated of in full detail, but as far as is possible to be rigidly adhered to. That this is possible, a glance over the sections of this and the previous volume treating of Birds will abundantly demonstrate; and that this is practicable, even with an extreme compression of space, is also to be proved by an appeal to the way in which the eighth order of Birds is managed, where, though only three pages were allowed to this most interesting and important of orders, yet we are even in these few lines enabled to get an idea of the orderly sequence of its families. This work is in many ways so excellent, that we venture on these criticisms with the object of trying to keep it up to a fairly good standard, and of making it useful in some measure as a work of reference.

As specimens of the excellent illustrations in this volume we have, through the courtesy of the publishers, the opportunity of presenting to our readers the two following. The Common Quail (Coturnix dactylisonans) visits Europe in the summer, when prodigious numbers are trapped and sold for purposes of food. Waterton mentions that 17,000 specimens were brought to Rome in one day. They are to be found in large quantities on the coasts of the Mediterranean, and so abundant are they in the beautiful Island of Capri, that it is said that it was from this source that the bishops in the olden times derived a large part of their wealth. The Quail is most rapid in its flight, and performs long and fatiguing journeys. Sunset is its time for active exertion; during the day it remains quite quiet, reserving its energies for the evening, when it goes off in quest of food.

Their favourite nourishment is insects, but at times they feed on grain and seeds; small stones are also swallowed to facilitate digestion. The habits of the quail are most unamiable and unsocial, and generally, when they meet with one of their own species, they display a very pugnacious disposition. The female has a much better nature; she is a most excellent mother, even protecting young birds who have been deprived of their parents' care. She builds her nest of small portions of plants, and lays eight to fourteen eggs; these are pear

shaped in form, of a light-brown colour, marked with a
darker shade; the young seem full-grown when only six
months old, and are ready to join their parents in their
long autumn journey, which may extend as far as the
Cape of Good Hope, where they are known to arrive in
large numbers. The quail, unlike the partridge, also
figured in our illustration, has several wives, and displays
great spirit in keeping rivals at a distance; while the
mother is attending to the care of her young ones, the
cock bird, too, often amuses himself in the vicinity with
his companions.
Our second ustration is taken from the higher of the

two classes of the Ichthyopsida, known as the Amphibia; these skull-bearing animals have no annion and but a rudimentary allantois, and they breathe by gills at some period of their life. In this volume they are placed as an independent class alongside of the Sauropsidian reptiles. Among the permanently tailed Amphibians (Urodela) the sub-order containing those species with gills that fall off (Caducibranchiata) contains the interesting species known as Salamanders. It is of one of these of which we give the accompanying figure, not only as a fair specimen of those in the volume we are reviewing, but also in the hope of awakening some interest in a rather uncommon

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FIG. 1.-The Partridge and the Common Quail.

this is denied by Leydig. Prof. St. George Mivart tells us that this species differs from all the other Urodela in the length and strength of its ribs, the longer ones considerably exceeding the length of two of the longest vertebræ of the body. M. Waltl first discovered it at Chiclana in Spain; Schinz states that it is very common in Andalusia in tanks and cisterns of water; Wallace gives its distribution as Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. Lord Clermont hints that the Bradybates ventricosus of Tschudi is probably the young of this species.

Amphibian. The next genus [to Salamandra], Pleuro- | also said by some to be capped by horny tubercles; but deles, has short ribs, which give the appearance as if they penetrated the flanks, but their ends come against the tissue under the skin and produce horny projections thereon. The tail is long and compressed, and the small tongue is adherent only in front, and there are two series of palatine teeth in longitudinal series. The Spanish kind (P. Waltlii) has an ashy grey body, very prettily marked with long transverse stripes and dots. It is like a heavy lizard." Lord Clermont, in his useful work on the Reptiles of Europe, describes the tongue as small, warty, free behind and on the sides, adhering in front; he also describes the ribs as piercing the skin, and they are

Now when Lord Clermont wrote his book there was not much more known about this interesting little animal,

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