HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



221 



Having made the Smooth Newt (L. punctatus) a 

 special study, and observed that in it the lobed lip 

 and toes, the high, scalloped, continuous crest, and 

 upper tail-fin, with under ditto in male, and lobed 

 lip, low and very gradually rising ridge, assuming 

 on tail the dimensions of a goodly fin, with under 

 fin of equal depth in female, were appendages of 

 the breeding season, disappearing with it and the 

 reptile's aquatic life, and seeing sufficient in the 

 above examination to cause me to think that the 

 development and disappearance of the lobes on the 

 upper lip of this species would be analogous, — I 

 this year obtained several more, and am satisfied 

 that it is so. 



The first batch of this year was obtained on 

 May 14th, from the same pond as that of last. In 

 males the crest was well developed, commencing be- 

 tween the eyes as a rapidly rising ridge, was closely 

 serrated throughout, the serrations varying in 

 size ; distinct hiatus over loins, low ridge occupy- 

 ing it ; sides of upper lip lobed very distinctly ; 

 lobes, however, do not extend below under side 

 of under jaw, but embrace it, curving inwards. 

 Eemales had lip lobed to some extent. In males 

 the upper web of tail was of fair height and finely 

 jagged throughout; under web much lower and 

 margin plain ; column of apical half of tail silvery 

 white, the webs orange-brown; basal half of tail 

 with webs nearly black. 



On the following day another batch was obtained 

 from a different field-pond, and the males of it had 

 crest and fins mueh further developed than those of 

 former lot, whilst the lobing of lip appeared iden- 

 tical. Upper parts of body, with crest and fin, a 

 dark olive-green ; whereas the same parts in the last 

 were brown, with an obscure olive-tinged silvery 

 streak on tail column very obscure. 



Keeping two of the newts— the best developed 

 male and a female — I again examined them on 

 June 24th. In the male the crest had dwindled 

 down to a low toothed ridge, the upper tail-fin or 

 web being of fair dimensions, but margin quite 

 plain, whilst lobes from sides of upper lip were 

 entirely obliterated ; under web of tail only one-half 

 the depth of upper, Female had just a remnant of 

 lobes left ; as in male, under web of tail was of con- 

 siderably less depth than upper. 



On July 3rd the male died, having still a remnant 

 of crest along back. Eor some days previously I 

 had been unable to obtain earth-worms, which 

 formed their principal food, and they had refused 

 the raw lean meat offered, and made strenuous 

 efforts to leave the water. In all probability the 

 time had arrived at which, had they been in their 

 native haunts, they would have left their aquatic for 

 their terrestrial abodes, as it is at this stage that 

 the smooth newts do so. 



Very frequently the Warty Newt casts its skin, 

 which breaks at the margins of the lips, and, after 



sundry gaping s and noseings among the plants of the 

 aquarium, is pushed back on to the neck, rumpled as 

 in Smooth Newt, or, perhaps, that from under jaw 

 hanging flap-like from throat ; then the newt pushes 

 through amongst the plants and between them 

 and the sides of the aquarium, twisting and con- 

 torting the body in its efforts to get cuticle worked 

 onwards, and, having succeeded in getting it down 

 to hind-quarters, frequently turning round, seizing 

 it with mouth, divesting itself altogether of it and 

 gulping it, the whole operation occupying maybe 

 an hour, sometimes much less. Probably I would 

 be correct in saying that the skin of this species 

 was cast away on the third day. That it was so at 

 different periods, and in different individuals at the 

 same time, was observed; but, owing to the fact 

 of its being frequently cast during the night, and 

 of its being eaten by its owner, this circumstance 

 could not often be observed. 



Given a sufficiency of room and of planted aquatic 

 herbage, it is probable that the obsolete cuticle will 

 rarely be found in patches or shreds attached to 

 either this species or the Smooth Newt. Of all I 

 have had during the last five years, none were 

 received in that condition; and given the above con- 

 ditions in my aquaria, it has very rarely occurred, 

 and the smaller species casts its skin at least as 

 often as the larger one. Indeed, I have seen a 

 tadpole of the Smooth Newt about an inch and a 

 quarter long, whose branchia, though apparently on 

 the wane, were of a good size, which evidently had 

 divested itself of cuticle in adult fashion. When 

 first observed, the obsolescent cuticle was breaking 

 at margins of lips, the tadpole frequently gaping, 

 and could be observed loose at various parts of the 

 body, on branchia, but more especially on the under 

 side of head and throat. On looking again, some 

 time later, I found the tadpole had got entirely rid 

 of it, and was .making a meal of it, the slough of 

 two of the legs and feet being yet visible projecting 

 from its jaws. Moreover, there is evident uneasiness 

 at constraint of obsolescent cuticle. 



As already stated, the newts were chiefly fed on 

 earth-worms, of which they disposed in a manner 

 similar to that of the Smooth Newts, in a series of 

 jerking gulps. When worms failed, raw lean meat, 

 chiefly mutton, was substituted, cut up somewhat 

 worm-like and having motion imparted to it ; this 

 in general was pretty readily taken, but sometimes 

 refused. To frog-tadpole they were partial enough, 

 two newts reducing a colony in a fair- sized 

 aquarium to less than half a dozen. Sometimes I 

 inclosed in small aquaria a single newt and a few 

 tadpoles, which soon disappeared. The House-fly 

 (M. domestica) they also ate. 



That temperature, if not food, exerts considerable 

 influence on the seasonal development, appears 

 pretty evident. For instance, on the 17th July, 

 present year, a female I obtained from the same 



