NOTES 



SOME FEATURES OF BEHAVIOR IN THE COURTSHIP 



DISPLAY OF THE PALMATE NEWT {Molge 



pa Ima ta Schneid . ) 



BRUCE F. CUMMINGS 



The Palmate Newt (Molge palmata Schneid.), widely dis- 

 tributed in Great Britain, but absent from Ireland, presents 

 in its courtship display certain features of behavior to which 

 particular attention has not yet been drawn. Sexual dimor- 

 phism is strongly marked, the male being handsomely colored 

 along the sides of the body and possessing a very long, fine 

 filament, extending beyond the end of the tail. Generally 

 speaking the male follows the female through the water press- 

 ing his lips against her side or against her cloaca. When the 

 sexual fever becomes more intense, the active little male rushes 

 forward in front of the female and bars her progress. At the 

 same time, he bends back the distal half of his tail and vibrates 

 it at a wonderfully rapid rate, alongside^ the proximal half. The 

 female will move away and, the male following, the performance 

 is repeated. At the beginning of each of these spasms, the male 

 hollows out one side of its body and bends it around towards the 

 female. As the excitement dies down, the body assumes a straight 

 position, though the tail with its caudal filament continues to vibrate. 

 There are two features which must appear striking to any observer, 

 particularly if he is firm in a faith in sexual selection. First, 

 the display always takes place in front of the female. The 

 male swims along by her side till he is in front, before displaying. 

 Secondly, should the female, in the middle of a display, move 

 away so as to be unable to see the male's tail vibrating, the 

 male unbends his tail and turns it right around so as to vibrate 

 it on that side which is in view of the female. In regard to the 

 vibrating of the tail, too, it is suggestive to recall that motion 

 in an object attracts the newt sooner than an object motionless. 

 The female, if willing to be courted looks at the male with a 

 dull hypnotic stare. It was once believed that the vibration of 

 the tail set up a current in the water which carried the sper- 

 matozoa tow^ards the female. This is now known to be incorrect. 



305 



