GREAT WATER NEWT. 149 



may be found on land, but is no less aquatic. The 

 triton may be thoroughly aquatic at one period of 

 its existence, and as completely terrestrial at another. 

 Any attempt to subvert nature will only end in 

 disappointment. 



The amount of cold which the triton is able to 

 bear is greater than one would suppose. On this 

 point Mr. Higginbottom writes : — ■ 



I put two tritons into some water, and exposed them to a 

 freezing temperature during the night ; in the morning I found 

 the water frozen very firmly, with the tritons enclosed in its 

 centre. On thawing they were lively and flexible. In the 

 second experiment there was a piece of ice at the bottom of a 

 circular vessel. I placed two tritons upon it, and then another 

 covering of ice, and filled the vessel with water. I exposed it 

 during the night in the open air to a temperature of 28° F. In 

 the morning the whole had become a solid mass of ice twelve 

 inches in circumference, with the animals in the centre. On 

 breaking the ice carefully they were found completely encased 

 in the ice. I had some difficulty in separating the extremity of 

 one, but being liberated it used its arms and legs equally well.* 



The Warty Newt is characterised by the following 

 features. The skin is warted, and uniformly covered 

 with scattered pores ; a row of pores occur on each 

 side of the head, and along each side of the body, so 

 as to form a line along the space between the fore 

 and hind legs. A collar formed by a loose fold of 

 the skin passes beneath the neck. The tail is very 

 much flattened laterally, with sharp edges above and 



*" Ann. and Mag. of Nat. Hist.," 1853, p. 378. 



