A HISTORY OF SUFFOLK 



sunshine quite close to the beach.' Further 

 south Mr. H. Miller has noticed this species 

 in a garden at Alderton. At Bawdsey, an 

 adjoining village at the mouth of the river 

 Deben, a colony of natterjacks has long 

 been known to exist. Through the kind- 

 ness of Mr. W. H. Tuck I am enabled to 

 record an inland locality for this interesting 

 little batrachian. At Tostock, a village 

 situated about midway between Stowmarket 

 and Bury St. Edmunds, there is a pond which 

 forms one of the sources of the little river 

 Thet. This particular pond, one among 

 several in that neighbourhood, has long been 

 frequented in the breeding season by natter- 

 jacks. Mr. Tuck states that they leave the 

 water in July. These animals used to spawn 

 annually at Coldfair Green, about 3 miles 

 north-west of Aldeburgh. A small stream 

 here crosses the green, connected after heavy 

 rains with several shallow depressions in the 

 ground, which then become pools of water ; 

 remaining in that state sometimes for many 

 months. Here, within a stone's throw of 

 several cottages, the natterjacks used to de- 

 posit their spawn, and at the end of April and 

 beginning of May their loud ringing cry 

 could be heard for a considerable distance. 

 From some unknown cause they have now 

 deserted this spot. On 17 June 1903 the 



* Zoobpst, 1882, p. 465. 



Rev. J. G. Tuck saw a half grown natter- 

 jack on Wortham Common near Diss. 



CAUDATA 



4. Great Crested Newt. Molge cristatOy 



Laur. 

 Inhabits ponds in various parts of the 

 county, particularly those upon a clay soil. 

 It is less numerous than the common smooth 

 newt, but the two are not unfrequently found 

 together, the warty newt sometimes making 

 a meal of its smaller relative. 



5. Common Newt. Molge vulgarity Linn. 



(Triton punctatus, Latr.) 

 Plentiful in many ponds and pools of 

 stagnant water, particularly those in which 

 the shining pondweed (Potamogeton lucens) 

 grows, upon the under side of the leaves of 

 which the female often deposits her eggs. 

 The common newt is sometimes found 

 hibernating in cellars, but more frequently 

 under stones, logs, etc. The young after their 

 transition from the tadpole state, instead of 

 increasing, appear for a time to diminish con- 

 siderably in bulk. It is not unusual to find 

 hibernating on land, newts which have at- 

 tained the perfect or adult stage, so extremely 

 small as to be less than half the size of ex- 

 amples in the larval condition, living in the 

 water and still retaining their branchiae. 



ADDENDUM 



European Water Tortoise. Emys lutaria. Some of the water tortoises turned out at 

 Blaxhall and Little Glemham during the years 1894 and 1895 still survive in both parishes. 

 Three large specimens have been seen together during the spring of 1908, in a ditch at the 

 latter place. 



T76 



