274 
wait until their porous skin has absorbed sufficient liquid to 
quench their thirst. Within the warts upon a toad’s skin is 
contained a viscid, creamy substance, highly poisonous, which 
is the toad’s only weapon for defence, and one in no way avail- 
able for attack. 
I have no record of the occurrence of the Natterjack 
Toad (Bufo calamita) in this county. 
The Great Water Newt (Triton cristatus), the Smooth Newt 
(Lophinus punctatus), and the Palmate Newt (Lophinus palmatus), 
are all common in Gloucestershire, the first two being most 
often found in the valleys, while the Palmate Newt is partial 
to higher levels. The life history of the newt is much the 
same as that of the frog and toad. For an average period 
of six months the young newt lives the life of a fish, breathing 
by gills, which are partly external, and are absorbed when he 
leaves the water. The legs appear in pairs; the fore legs 
show first, when the tadpole is only three weeks old; and the 
hind legs are developed about two months later. When the 
tadpole is hatched from an egg laid late in the summer. he 
does not leave the water that year, but remains in his pond 
throughout the winter, and emerges in early spring. He lives 
a wholly terrestrial life for three years, and only when full 
erown does he again become aquatic. The tadpole of the 
Great Water Newt will attack and devour the tadpoles of 
smaller newts. 
The best method of catching newts is to snare them in a 
horse-hair noose, or a small red worm tied on a piece of cotton 
will prove an effective bait. 
The re-production of limbs which have been amputated is 
a strange feature in the physiological characteristics of the 
newts. I have witnessed the re-production of a fore leg 
which had been accidentally cut off. In this case the toes of 
the foot began to protrude from the shoulder of the newt 
within about two weeks after the accident, and the limb slowly 
grew and developed to its proper proportions. 
Procreation takes place in a singular manner among newts. 
The male faces the female, and by curving his tail and vibrating 
