The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-01-12
CREATURE WAS sALAMANDER.
Little Animal Found by Eli Lee Iden.
titled by Prof. Lambert

-ASo ~ EOI. lsamDcrI.
Ire Reformer recently told OF the
finding in this town hy Eli lee -.
Gmitord OF creature that crawle:l
like an alligator and was called h.,
hlm lizard, for want of more accu.
rate information. The article was re
printed IN the Middleburv Registe..
and came to the notice of Prof. Aver
+; Lambert of Middleburv college
VINO mas preached here several time;
III the centre Congregational church.
follows:
The last issue of the Middlebury
Register reports, under the Vernon.
news Items, the finding, by Mr. Lee OF
oullford, Ct strangely fashione
creature which is described as =
hzard, about seven inches long.
black, with yellow spots on each ) ie
extending 10 the tail It erawls like
an alligator and has little toes reseni-
bhng human fingers.
1t IS seldom that a lay description
IS 50 accurate as the above. and the
writer IS enabled TO identify the ami
MAJ AZ once. 1t is a salamander, known
20 haturalists as Amblystoma ouncta-
tenn.
The salamanders are tailed am
phlb1ans that is, they belong to the
same general group of animals as the
frogs and toads. They are not lizards
from which they differ in MANY re
spects. The finder OF the specimen
mentioned could have easily determined
this by noting that the skin was
smooth and Shiny, like that of a frog.
and not covered with scales which is
characteristic OF the skin of lizards.
IheSe salamanders are lar from
uncommon IL Nermont, although thev
are not frequently met with owing To
thelr subtcrranean habits They COM
iorth from their underground burrows
III the early spring to lay their eggs IN
Pohds and pools OF water Their retir-
ing habits make them shy and hard Ia
approach ut this time. Their eggs are
enclosed IN masses of gelatin, like
those of the frog, but can be identified
ny the fact that they always enclose a
tick or stout grass-stem bv which
hey are supported il the water. After
me eggs are laid the salamanders
cave the water and burrow deeply IN
moist soil where they are likely to re-
nam fer the rest of the year
The AmblyStoma found near Gull
ford had probably been led to leave
ITS burrow by the recent rains and the
warming of the earth near its tunnel bv
the sun, which is not infrequentlv the
case. The writer recalls finding one
not far from Hanover, ~ H., in the
month OF February. which had been en-
tced FROM its subterrarean home bv
the warm sun falling directly on the
clay bank III which il was passing the
winter. It had crawled ont Gu the snow
where II lay quite helpless from the
chill
"Several St these animals have been
found in Niddleburv each spring. and
there is an excellant specimen preserv-
cd IN the natural history collection at
Mlddlebury college which the writer
secured last April near the Porter field.
The fact that the creatures are
found now ami then which occasions
surprise because they are so apparent
~ strange and which. IN most cases.
are not ri I'll uncommon. is a strcuer
argument Tor NE teaching Of the sim
pie facts of natural history in our pub
liz schools. The fault with such teach
ing, where II occurs, is that il is con
tented with an effort 10 arouse an in
tereSt IN nature. rather than to es-
tabhsh sound knowledge of the char
acters by which the various kinds OF
animals AMI plants mag be distin-
guishcd; so that little cousin to tha
frog would not be called a lizard even
though it appears to crawl like an al
igator.