BRITISH AMPHIBIANS 
IJ. CLASS AMPHIBIA, OR FROGS, TOADS, AND 
NEWTS 
Introduetion.— The British Amphibians consist of seven 
species, so that they resemble in this respect the Rep- 
tiles previously dealt with. But although the number 
of species is almost identical, they differ in many ways, 
and a brief introduction of their salient features may 
here be attempted. Of the seven species with which we 
have to deal, four, the two Frogs and two Toads, do not, 
except in their tadpole stage, possess tails ; the remaining 
three species, the Newts, carry tails all through life. 
Further, the Ranide (the Frogs), have teeth in the upper 
jaw, whilst the Bufonide (the Toads), are toothless. 
Frogs have a clean smooth skin; Toads have a warty 
covering which at once distinguishes them. Newts are 
highly ornamented and coloured in the breeding season 
as we shall presently discover. It may well be asked: 
What constitutes an Amphibian ? And the reply may be 
given: it is a cold-blooded animal which passes through 
various stages before reaching the adult state, and at 
some period of its existence spends part of its time in 
water and the remainder on land. Indeed, even when 
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