Mr. J. Higginbottom on the British Tritons. 379 



titled ' Les amours des Salamandres.' I will however add a very 

 succinct account from my own observation. 



I believe fecundation takes place in the Triton internally, 

 although effected without immediate contact of the sexes. The 

 male pursues the female with perseverance until the latter stops ; 

 he then remains with his head inclining to the head of his mate 

 and commences waving his tail for a minute or two, and at in- 

 tervals with a quicker motion. He then turns upon his side, 

 sometimes with the tail quite erect for a few seconds ; these mo- 

 tions are continued for several minutes ; when he makes a smart 

 motion with his tail similar to the smack of a whip in a direction 

 towards the female, but without immediate or actual contact; 

 the male then swims away, but the female remains stationary for 

 a short time and then goes away in another direction. 



The male Triton Icevis differs somewhat from the Triton asper 

 in the process of fecundation ; his tail is bent forwards in the 

 middle and remains in that position, whilst the end has an ex- 

 ceeding quick vibratory motion, the female remaining still by his 

 side. 



The full-grown Triton feeds on live aquatic animals, which it 

 is capable of swallowing whole, and the power of retaining the 

 prey when once seized is remarkable. I have often seen a Triton 

 seize on the end of the delicate tail of the tadpole of the frog, 

 and with that slight hold it has drawn the whole body of the 

 tadpole into its gorge. The Triton also feeds upon the Limneus 

 pereger and other mollusca, and it is not uncommon to observe 

 in the stomach and intestines from ten to twelve of these mol- 

 lusca of different sizes. These distend the intestines, near the 

 lower part of which the shells are found nearly empty. When 

 voided some of the shells are observed to be broken, others are 

 entire, but quite empty. Some of the Triton asper I found in 

 the pools late in the season were quite gorged with the young of 

 the smooth species, and I have seen them devour the young of 

 their own. 



The digestive power of the Triton, when inhabiting the water, 

 is very great, for in three days after it has been gorged with the 

 tadpole of the frog, the stomach and intestines are found nearly 

 empty. 



On the other hand, some Tritons which I kept from September 

 to March without food, after being in a state of hibernation in a 

 damp situation for so many months, did not appear emaciated. 



About the first or second week in July, the crest and the other 

 peculiarities which they had acquired preparatory to the breed- 

 ing season disappear both in the male and female ; this process 

 of absorption takes place rapidly, and afterwards they are no 

 longer induced to remain in the water ; so that early in the month 



