The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1894-01-13
sALAMANDERs AND FIRE.
Curious Lizards to Which an Old-Tim
Superstition Relates.

SAIAMANOEHS AMI fiHGs
Curious Lizards to Which an Old-Timo
Superstition Relates.
Nobody knows how the superstition
regarding the supposed fire-proof quail
ity of the salamander had its rise" 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, l
shall have to tell you story.
'sOnce upon time Twas camping ont
with party. hunting and fishing. We
had lighted 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 small
lizard crawling right ont from among
the glowing embers. 1t walked away,
unhurt apparently, through the grass
and made it's escape.
s.Now, that salamander had occupied
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
and crawled out. Being moist and
Shiny. its body was protected from in
jury by the fire long enough to enable
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
creature must be fre-proof. 1t seems
to me quite probable that the supersti.
ton took its rise from just such occur
rences.
There are so many species OF sala
mander that description of them al
would fill book. They are to bs
found all over the world, except in
very cold regions. In popular sense
the name 'salamander' is applied to al
batrachians with tails. That is rather
a loose definition. A tadpole is q
| batrachian with tail. but 1T is not {
salamander The great majority o.
salamanders ARE small, such as the
nevis, found in springs. The bigges
species in this country are so-callet
'mud-eel, for siren 1t has only tive
| feet, Just behind the head. and it ha,
external gills, when fully developed
which is an exception to the rule among
salamanders.
1.-THE biggest salamander in the
world is found in Japan. 1t attains {
| length of two feet, andis related to thu
'hellbender.' Most salamanders liv,
on insects, but the very large kinds ca
pretty nearly everything as a rule
For instance, the Japanese species il
| omnivorous So far as l am aware
none of the saIamanders are considered
good to eat, by civilized men at al
events. Two years ago | obtained ;
specimen of the only known species o
blind salamander. 1t came from !
cave in Missouri. A so-called blint
salamander exists in certain caves o
1 Austria, but it is not a true salaman
der, though it would come under tn
popular definition, being a batrachial
with a tail.
lone peculiar thing about salaman
ders is that they are not as large whel
full grown as when they are partly de
veloped. That seems funny paradox
does it not? You see, salamanders g
through metamorphosis during thei
lifetime, as frogs do, though tn
change is not SO marked. They hav
a larval period, as the tadpcle is tn
larva of the, frog. On becoming adul
they shrink mp considerably. Durin,
the larval period they have gills lik
a fish, which usually become rudimen
tary later on. An odd exception +
this rule is the 'axylotr of Mexico
which does not undergo any such meta
morphosis and never becomes adult il
scientific sense. In other words,
never reaches what Is the final stag
with other salamanders, but always re
mains larva.
| "Axyolotis of different species ar
found in various parts of the Unite
States, but they do undergo the chang
and become adult. However, if yo
keep one of them in water and proven
it from escaping. it will remain a larv
always and will undergo no metamol
phosis. In order to change, it has
get on dry land. Having become
land animal, its external gills disaI
pear, being no longer required fo
breathing in water. The Mexica
axylotl never goes on land-at a
events, not for a longer time than il
gills will remain wet.
I'm this bottle is one of the bigge:
toads in the world. suppose it weigh
nearly four pounds. 1t comes frol
Arizona, and is the only specimen {
! the species that we have ever secures
Isn't it beauty ?"-Washington Sta
u NApnl CONS CLOTHES.