Mr. J. Higginbottom on the British Tritons. 375 



intermediate sizes^ so that I was led to the conclusion that the 

 full-grown Triton of three years' growth is partially crested, and 

 that the fully-crested Triton is four years in arriving at this 

 perfect size and state : growth is arrested during hibernation. 



During two years of repeated visits to the pools, I did not 

 observe a Triton of the first and second year's growth in the 

 water. During the tliu'd year I found none of the first year's 

 growth, and only two of the second year's in the water; the 

 appearance of these I was compelled to look upon as accidental. 

 It seems probable that if the Triton of one year's growth should 

 find its way into the water, it would presently fall a prey to the 

 larger ones, which are very voracious during the breeding season. 



The Triton asper at the close of one year is about 2 inches 

 in length ; the colour of the body is of a blackish brown, slightly 

 rough, with minute spots of white, the breast and abdomen 

 being of a light yellow, sometimes with small dark spots (PI. XV. 

 fig.l.) 



At the close of the second year this Triton is now more than 

 3 inches in length, varying little from that of the first year, 

 except in having more dark spots on the abdomen, and sometimes 

 a yellow line extending along the middle of the back to the tail : 

 the sexes are scarcely to be distinguished externally (fig. 2). 



At the end of the third year it is 4 inches in length, the 

 skin on the body has become rougher, the breast and abdomen 

 more of an orange colour, and marked with large irregular spots. 

 In the male, during the breeding season and for the first time, 

 there is an indented dorsal crest, and a dark-coloured protu- 

 berance on each side the cloaca is observed. The tail (which 

 during the two former years, when terrestrial, was more com- 

 pressed) becomes now more expanded, and is marked on each 

 side with a silvery stripe, which is persistent. In the female 

 there is an oval raised villous appearance round the cloaca, and 

 the tail is also more expanded (fig. 3). 



At the expiration of the fourth year the Triton asper is between 

 5 and 6 inches in length, and the chest and abdomen are of 

 a stUl deeper orange colour, and marked with dark irregular 

 spots ; the male has its full-grown dorsal crest, the tail is still 

 more expanded and of a lanceolate form ; and in the female, the 

 protuberances on the sides of the cloaca are larger, and the raised 

 villous appearance is still more apparent than before. The 

 female is usually larger in size than the male (fig. 4). 



The generic characters of some Tritons have been distinguished 

 by the upper lip overhanging the lower. I have observed, that 

 in the first yeai''s Triton asper the upper lip overhangs the under 

 considerably at the sides. In the second year it overhangs less. 

 Between the second and third year it becomes straighter, and in 

 the fourth it overhangs again as much as in the first year. This 



