Note 256 — Part III. ON THE FINAL CAUSES OF TRANSFORMATION.

[Eng. ed. It was mentioned in the German edition of this work that in the spring of 1876 a female Amblystoma of the Jardin des Plantes in Paris had laid eggs (see Blanchard in the Compt. Rend. 1876, No. 13, p. 716). Whether these eggs were fertile, or whether they developed was not then made known. Thus much was however at the time clear, that even if this had been the case, the reproduction of this Amblystoma would have been only an exceptional occurrence. At that time there were in the Jardin des Plantes Amblystomas which had been kept for more than ten years, and only on one occasion was there a deposition of eggs, and this by only one specimen. That I was correct in speaking of the “sterility” of these Amblystomas in spite of this one exception, is proved by the latest communication from the Jardin des Plantes. We learn from this (Compt. Rend. No. 14, July, 1879, p. 108) that in the years 1877 and 1878 none of the Amblystomas laid any more eggs, although all means were exerted to bring about propagation. In April, 1879, eggs were again laid by one female, and by a second in May. These eggs certainly developed, as did those of 1876, and produced tadpoles. These Amblystomas are therefore not absolutely, but indeed relatively sterile. Whilst the Axolotl propagates regularly and freely every year, this occurs with the Amblystoma but rarely and sparsely. The degree of their sterility can only be approximately established when we know the number of Amblystomas that have since been kept in the Jardin des Plantes. Unfortunately nothing has been said with respect to this.]