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THE GUIDE TO NATURE 



A Migration of Newts. 



One of our esteemed Members in 

 Plainfield Iowa, writes as follows of an 

 incident that occurred in North Da- 

 kota. 



"Will you please state in your maga- 

 zine what good work lizards do, the 

 common brownish green kind ? On the 

 morning after a hard rain at night, 

 there were hosts of lizards hurrying 

 across the fields, yards and roads, all 

 traveling southeast. Why? We had 

 never previously had any to any notice- 

 able extent in this part of the state and 

 as I did not want them in the cellar, I 

 killed two and got seven more in a 

 pail, but there were so many I quit for 

 I thought they must serve some good 

 purpose and doubtless they were as 

 glad to live as I am. They all disap- 

 peared in a day or two. Where? 

 Something of the same sort happened 

 here in Iowa last summer. One even- 

 ing at nine o'clock a family on their 

 front porch saw a regular bunch of liz- 

 ards going west. I shall be glad if you 

 will tell me the use or habits of these 

 reptiles. I feel sure that the lizard 

 must have some place in the general 

 scheme of things." 



Never kill any animal unless you do 

 so in self-protection or for food. Liz- 

 ards are harmless and are not edible. 

 But in this instance you are doubly in 

 error. The little animals are not liz- 

 ards. Perhaps the graceful, dainty lit- 

 tle body may by its form somewhat 

 suggest a lizard but the harmless little 

 fellows are newts. Raymond L. Dit- 

 mars says : 



"They migrate after rains to areas 

 that contain more dampness, as these 

 naked-skinned creatures (like toads or 

 frogs) depend upon a water soaked soil. 

 They travel after rains owing to the 

 ground being then in proper condition 

 for their progress. They feed upon in- 

 sects." 



You should have an aquarium in 

 which you can readily keep a few 

 newts. They are the delight of every 

 one who likes aquatic animals. They 

 will soon learn to take food from your 

 fingers. 



Prom a British book, "Life in Ponds 

 and Streams" (Furneaux), the follow- 

 ing is quoted : 



"The general form of a newt is very 

 similar to that of a lizard, and this re- 



semblance has led to the common ap- 

 plication of the name 'water lizards' to 

 the former. But to avoid confusion, it 

 may be well to note the more obvious dis- 

 tinction between newts and lizards. Newts 

 are amphibious animals, and even truly 

 aquatic at certain periods of their ex- 

 istence ; while lizards inhabit dry 

 heaths, moors, and banks. Newts have 

 a soft moist skin, resembling that of 

 frogs ; but lizards are covered with a 

 dry scaly skin, much like that of a 

 snake. Newts have flattened tails 

 adapted for swimming, while the tails 

 of lizards are round and tapering. 

 Also, newts in their earlier days, pass 

 through a series of stages similar to 

 those of the frog; but young lizards, 

 on their first appearance in life, are 

 formed just like their parents. And, 

 further, the close relationship existing 

 between the newts and other amphib- 

 ians is clearly exhibited by the shape of 

 the head and the wide gape ; by their 

 prominent eyeballs, which are retrac- 

 tile, and readily observed on the roof 

 of the mouth, and by the arrangement 

 of the eyelids ; also by their method of 

 breathing, which corresponds exactly 

 with that force-pump action described 

 when treating of frogs. 



* * * * * 



"They are easily caught. The onlv 

 implements required are a small gauze 

 hand-net and a large metal box, such 

 as an ordinary bait-can, in which to 

 convey the specimens home. 



As you walk round a weedy pond 

 you will observe here and there a newt 

 gracefully swimming with an undula- 

 tory movement of its tail toward the 

 centre. Its fear of the monster on the 

 bank is evidently not very great, for 

 its flight is not at all hurried, neither 

 does it trouble to swim any great dis- 

 tance from you : and a quick sweep of 

 the net among the weeds will generally 

 secure the prize, and often one or two 

 others that happened to be among the 

 foliage in the path of the net. Some- 

 time, in fact often, the newts in a pond 

 are so numerous that they may be se- 

 cured, five or six at a stroke, without 

 attempting to look for them, but by 

 simply sweeping the net haphazard 

 among the weeds. 



The schoolboy's method of catching 

 newts is usually not so productive, 

 though it may be more exciting. An 



