The Anatomy of the Salamander

Abstract

SALAMANDER is a name not unknown to folklore, mythology or even slang. Henceforward it must be more than a nominal acquaintance of every zoologist, without distinction of creed or class, for Dr. Francis has given us a book with a much wider appeal than its title would suggest. In his preface the author says that: “Its intention is to provide a general account of the anatomy and morphology of a tailed Amphibian?the Salamander, which shall, within limits, be comparable with the work of Ecker and Gaupp on its ecaudate relative?the Frog”. There can be no doubt of his successful achievement of this object, and the two works are not only comparable but also complementary; the easiest way of discovering the latest morphological, nomenclature and the most recent views on the homologies of anuran structures is to compare the relevant sections in the two books.

The Anatomy of the Salamander

By Dr. Eric T. B. Francis. With an Historical Introduction by Prof. F. J. Cole. Pp. xxxi + 381 + 26 plates. (Oxford: Clarendon Press; London: Oxford University Press, 1934.) 25s. net.