L. salamandra, or the salamander, is of a deep brilliant black colour, varied with irregular patches of bright yellow. It is found in various parts of France, Germa ny, and Italy, abounding particularly in moist and woody situations, and making its appearance chiefly during rain. In winter it secludes itsclfin clefts, or hollow trees. It is about seven inches long, lives principally upon insects and snails, can subsist by water as well as land, is slow in its movements, and lethargic in its habits. The idea of its being capable of enduring- fire without injury, can be accounted for merely from its possessing a power of exuding, in any state of irritation, a white and glutinous substance, which must of course tend to render the appli cation afire less immediately destructive to it than to sonic other animals; and con sidering what trifling causes have led, in innumerable cases, to important inferen ces, this fact may probably have given rise to the notion of the salamander being insusceptible of destruction, and even of injury, in the midst of flames. The idea of its poisoning any large animal by its bite is equally exploded. The common
lizard, however, is stated to have been poisoned in consequence of the bite of the salamander, from some particular fluid contained in the skin of the latter. The salamander produces its young living, hatched from internal eggs, and frequent ly upwards of thirty in number.
L. aquatica, or the common water newt, is generally about three inches and a half in length, and is found in Great Britain in almost all its stagnant waters. Newts frequently cast their skins with the most complete wholeness, even to the exqui sitely delicate and filmy coverings of the eye. In the power of reproduction they resemble the cancer genus. The loss of a leg is reported by Dr. Blumenbach to be easily repaired by renovation, and it is added that the same circumstance oc curs with respect to the eyes. The tena ciousness of life exhibited by these ani mals is remarkable. They have often been found inclosed in large masses of ice, in which they must have been con fined for days, weeks, or even, in some in stances, for months ; and, on being freed from their prison, have soon displayed all the alertness and vigour of perfect health.