BRITISH AMPHIBIANS 



II. CLASS AMPHIBIA, OR FROGS, TOADS, AND 



NEWTS 



Introduction. — The British Amphibians consist of seven 

 species, so that they resemble in this respect the Rep- 

 tiles previously dealt with. But although the number 

 of species is almost identical, they differ in many ways, 

 and a brief introduction of their salient features may 

 here be attempted. Of the seven species with which we 

 have to deal, four, the two Frogs and two Toads, do not, 

 except in their tadpole stage, possess tails ; the remaining 

 three species, the Newts, carry tails all through life. 

 Further, the Ranidce (the Frogs), have teeth in the upper 

 jaw, whilst the Biifonida (the Toads), are toothless. 

 Frogs have a clean smooth skin ; Toads have a warty 

 covering which at once distinguishes them. Newts are 

 highly ornamented and coloured in the breeding season 

 as we shall presently discover. It may well be asked : 

 What constitutes an Amphibian ? And the reply may be 

 given : it is a cold-blooded animal which passes through 

 various stages before reaching the adult state, and at 

 some period of its existence spends part of its time in 

 water and the remainder on land. Indeed, even when 

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