SALAMANDRINAE 131 



perforation the point of the rib lies in a lymphatic space. This 

 surprising feature has by many authorities been considered as 

 abnormal or pathological. Certainly young, and even many 

 adult, individuals are found in which the skin is not perforated, 

 but when these are handled the wriggling motions of this strong 

 newt force the points of the ribs through the skin, and they 

 remain sticking out to the extent of several millimetres. The 



~'-- .^ I '"Til 



FIG. 25. Triton waltli. Spanish Newt, adult and larvae, x-jj. 



wounds heal up, the skin forming a neatly finished-off hole 

 through which the spike projects, not as a formidable, but as a 

 sufficiently awkward, protective weapon. 



Large females reach a length of 10 inches. The larvae 

 metamorphose, as a rule, when they are between 2 and 3 inches 

 long, but those which have been bred in tanks often reach 

 double this length. These newts are frequent inhabitants of 

 the rain-water cisterns common in the South of Portugal and 

 Spain, into which they tumble without ever being able to get 

 out again. This species spends most of its time in the water, 



