BATRACHIANS OF THE VICINITY OF NEW YORK 183 
rough, an indication of the red hue and rough skin of the terres- 
trial form. If, on the other hand, specimens found in the woods 
be placed in an aquarium, they at first show signs of marked 
distaste for their new quarters. After a time, however, they be- 
come reconciled to the water and lose their bright tints, thus be- 
ginning to assume the colors of their aquatic associates, while 
the tail grows broader and better suited for swimming. Very 
small, bright red forms are often found in the woods, demon- 
strating that such specimens have left the water immediately 
after completing the larval stage. 
As an explanation of the eccentricities of this species it may 
be explained that the cool depths of the mountain forests, con- 
tinuously and heavily shaded, and well saturated with moisture, 
offer the species an inducement to vary its life history. Close to 
New York City, where the red form is unknown, the writer has 
observed an intimation of this terrestrial tendency. In the 
thick woods of the Palisades of the Hudson, he has found occa- 
sional Newts hiding under pieces of bark that rested a few feet 
from the edge of a pool inhabited by numbers of the kind. Such 
specimens showed a tinge of brown like the form mznzatus. 
The terrestrial form has been described as possessing a much 
rougher skin and lacking the fin-folds of the tail of the aquatic 
form. These characters, however, are caused merely by the 
drying of the skin. 
In the aquarium, the water form is an interesting creature, 
and may be kept in flourishing condition by feeding it small 
earthworms or small pieces of raw beef. The red form lives well 
in a vivarium which has been plentifully supplied with damp 
moss. It will eat the larve of ants and small earthworms. It 
may be found in the Highlands of the Hudson River. Its range 
of distribution is much the same as the water form, except that 
it occurs principally in mountainous districts. 
