Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-11-25

Origin OF the Bcffef Ihat Incy hfc
ut Home I'm Fire.
Nobody knows how tbs superstition
regarding the supposed fireproof quail
ity Of the salamapder had its rise"
said DIR. Stejneger. the reptilian expert
of the Smithsonian institution. 20 the
Washington Evening Star recently.
However, | can give what Think Is
a pretty good guess at it. To explain.
shall have to tell you a story.
Once upon n time / was camping
out with party. hunting and fishing.
We had lighted big fire. using for
fuel several old logs. While we were
sitting around watching the progress
of some cookery in which we were en-
gagged, a young lady at my side gave a
little scream and pointed into the
flames looked. and there was n small
lizard crawling right out from among
the glowing embers- Ii walked away
unhurt, apparently, through the grass
and made its escape
Now that salamander had occupied
q hole in one of the logs used for
fuel. Several species of its kind live
in old tree trunks Doubtless this one
found that IL was getting uncomforta-
bly, hot and crawled out Being moist
and Shiny. its body was protected from
injury by the fire long enough To ena-
BILE II to escape through the embers-
But the sight of the animal deliber-
ately making its appearance from the
midst of the fire was certainly very sur
prising Any ignorant person might
easily have been led To imagine that
the creature must be freproof. IL
seems 10 me quite probable that the
superstition took its rise from just such
occurrences.
There are SO many species of sals-
manders that n description of them all
would fill book. They are To be
found all over the world. except In very
cold regions. In n popular sense. the
name 'salamander' IL applied TO all
batrachians with tails. That Is rather
a loose definition A tadpole In .
batraehian with . tail. bat 10 Ia not .
salamander. The great majority Of
salamanders are small, such as the
nevis, found In springs. The biggest
speciesfn this country Is the so-called
mud eel or siren 1t has only two
feet, just behind the head. and 10 has
external gills when fully developed.
which is an exception 10 the rule
among salamanders
'.The biggest salamander In the world
Il found ia Japan IL attains a length
of two feet and Is related 10 the hell
bender Most salamanders live on i'm
sccts. but the very large kinds eat
pretty nearly everything as rule.
For instance. the japanese species Is
omnivorous. So far as l arm aware
none OF the salamandcrs 10 considered
good 10 eat. by civilized men, at oil
events Two years ago / obtained q
specimen of the only known species OF
blind salamander. ftcsne from . cave
in Missouri. A so-called blind ssla-
maBder exists in certain caves of Aus
tria. hut II is not q true sslamarder.
lar definition. being batrschisn with
9 tail
"One peculiar thing about sals-
manders Is that they are NOT ss large
when fun grown as when they are
partly developed. That seems funny
paradox. does 10 not7 You ZEE. sala-
manders go through . metsrnorphosis
during their lifetime. a. frogs do,
though the change is not 80 marked.
They have a lsrvsl period. ss The tad
pole = the larve Of the frog. On be
cour'ng sdult they shrink MP eonrid.
erahiv During the lArvsl period they
have gill. like = Ssh. which usually be-.
CONF documentary An odd exception
o. this rule i the 'sxoiou' Of NeEico'
which does not undergo anv such
metAmorphosis aud never becomes
admit In . scientific sense. In Other
words. IL never reaches what IL the
Gnal stage with other salsmsnders but
always remains larva.
Asolosls - different specie. are
found In various parts q the United
stats. bot they do undergo the change
snd become sduls However. II you
keep one 81 them IN water and prevent
" FROM escaping n wiB remain lsrvs
slwsTs and wiil undergo 10 meta
nsorph0~is In order % change 10 has
20 get On dry land Ha~inz become .
land snffnai. ~ external giils disc
par. being no lcnger required for
bresthiug is reAt~r The MexscAn AK.
sIatl never go~s On hDa--st snF rate,
Dos 80 ionrer tine shsn 20 gsiis ~ai