The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-12-13
SALAMANDERS AND FIRE.
Curious Lizards to Which an Oid-Time
Superstition Relates.


Nobody knows how the superstition
regarding the supposed fire-proof quail
ity of the salamander had itSrise," said
DIR. Stelneger, the reptilian expert of
the Smithsonian institute recently.
However, | can give what think is "A
pretty good guess at it. To explain,
shall have to tell you a story.
"Once upon time was camping ont
with party. hunting and fishing. We
had lighted a big fire. using for fuel
several old logs. While we were sit
ting around watching the progress of
some cookery in which we were en-
gagged, a young lady at my side gave
little scream and pointed into the
flames. looked and there was a small
lizard crawling right out from among
the glowing embers. 1t walked away,
rnhurt apparently. through the grass
and made its escape.
Now that salamander had occupied
a hole in one of the logs used for fuel.
Several species of it's kind live in old
tree trunks. Doubtless this one found
that it was getting uncomfortably hot
anu VI dH tCN Oab. bLAtE hipAsh 49,
Shiny, its body was protected from iu-
jury by the fire long enough 20 ena BILE
it TO escape through the embers- But
the sight of the animal deliberately
making its appearance from the midst
of the fire was certainly very surpris-
ing. Any ignorant person might east
~ have been led To imagine that the
ufr1,.o he tra-nrnnf II
to me quite proba bic that the supersti-
ton took its rise from just such occur
rences.
There are 50 many species of sala-
mander that description of them all
would fill book They are to. be
found all over the world, except in
very cold regions. In popular sense.
the name 'salamander' is applied 10 all
batrachians with tails. That is rather
a loose definition. A tadpole is a
batrachian with tail bat lit is not 3
salamander The great ma ority of
alsmanders ARE small, such as the
nevis, found in springs. The biggest
species in this country arc so-called
rnud-eel,' 'or siren. II has only two
feet. Just behind the head. and it has
external gills, when fully developed.
which is an exception 20 the rule among
salamanders.
THE biggest salsmander in the
world is found in Japan. 1t attains
length of two feet. snd.is related 20 the
'helIbender Most salsmanders live
on insects, but the very large kinds eat
pretty nearly everything as rule
For instance. the japanese species il
omuivorous So far a. ! am aware.
none OF the salamnnders are considered
good TO eat, by civilized men az all
events. Two years ago obtained a
specimen Of the only known species II
blind saismapdsr. II came from a
cave In Missouri A so-ealIed blind
salamander exists IN certain cares Of
Austria, be. it IS not true salaDan-
der. though IL. would come under the
popular definition, being q b&trSchlan
with tail
''one peculiar thing sbou: salszsan-
ders is that they are not a. large w5en
fall grown - sshen they are partly -
veloped. That seems funny paradox.
does il not You ace. saisnanders 20
through netansorphoAis dasing their
lifetime. a. frogs DO. though the
change Is not so marked They have
a larval period. as the :a5p1ie is the
Iarra - the frog Ga becoming adzlt
they shrink mp considerably. During
the Iarval Deriod they hzys gilis Ike