Salamander
The alchemist's lizard. Has a strong resemblance to the small black and yellow lizards which inhabit damp and mossy places in Britain and Europe, but unlike common lizards it is able to live in the heart of the hottest fire.
Salamanders useful to alchemists are likely to be found on the slopes of volcanoes, especially when an eruption sends cascades of red-hot lava pouring down the rocky sides. The easiest way to catch salamanders is to wear a suit and boots of salamander skins, because these are resistant to the fiercest heat and enables a collector to walk unharmed on the burning lava. It is, however, unfortunately a 'chicken and egg' situation for an alchemist, who can rarely catch enough salamanders to provide him with this protective clothing.
Alchemists use salamanders as a part of the lengthy and complex process of turning lead into gold. The salamander acts as a kind of temperature-gauge. When the fire is hot enough to begin the conversion process a salamander will leap into it and frolic among the blazing coals.
Sometimes, when a fire is hot enough, a salamander will actually appear amidst the flames. It is possible, therefore, that the world's population of salamanders actually consists of those who have escaped from alchemists' laboratories.