4 0o SOUTHERN EUROPE 



on the Rhine at Basle, and in the greater part of Switzerland, and in the southern 

 part of the Black Forest. In Italy it is the commonest of venomous snakes; and 

 it also occurs in Sicily, although not in Sardinia, Corsica, or Malta. In the 

 Austrian Alps it is found only in the Tyrol. Nowhere does it ascend far up the 

 mountains, although it has been seen exceptionally in the southern Tyrol at a 

 height of 7500 feet ; usually, indeed, it confines itself to the uplands where it 

 lurks among rocks and stone heaps. 



Southern Europe is comparatively rich in amphibians, particu- 

 larly those of the tailed group. Of the frogs it must suffice to 

 mention the so-called agile frog (Rana agilin), which differs from the common 

 and moor frogs by its longer hind-legs, as well as by the absence of the two 

 internal vocal sacs. Its eyes are peculiar in that while the upper half is yellow, 

 the lower half is dark brown. The range of this species extends as far north as 

 the north of France, central Germany, and Bohemia, and as far east as the 

 Caucasus. 



Passing on to the newts of south Europe, we find the mountain 



Kewts. 



newt (Molge montana) confined exclusively to Corsica, where it may 



be found rarely in the lowlands and on the coast, but commonly in the mountains. 



Another kind, Rusconi's newt (M. rusconi), has hitherto only been found in 



Sardinia, where it appears to specially affect mountainous districts in the north 



and the interior of the island. The Iberian newt (M. waltlii) inhabits the south of 



the Pyrenees, and has also been found in a few localities at Ceuta and Tangier on 



the north-west coast of Africa, but not yet in Algeria. The marbled newt (M. 



marmorata) is another Spanish species, met with most frequently in the north and 



west, though its range extends into France. Yet another kind, Bosca's newt (J/. 



boscai), is limited to Spain and Portugal Lastly the Pyrenean newt (M. aspera) 



is only known in the range from which it takes its name, where it lives in lakes 



deriving their supply from glaciers. 



Spanish Among a number of interesting types of tailed amphibians, the 



Salamander. Sp an i sn salamander {Chioijlossa lusitanica) is met with only in a 



few localities in the Iberian Peninsula, mainly in the west and north-west. This 



species has a long forked tongue supported in such a way as to be free all round 



except in the middle of the front, and capable of being protruded an inch or more 



from the lips. In length it measures from 5 to 6 inches, two-thirds of which 



are taken up by the tail. In colour it is glossy dark brown with a blackish line 



along the middle of the back, margined on each side by a border which is golden 



in the Portuguese and reddish in the Spanish form. The haunts of this salamander 



are apparently pine-forests in the vicinity of water, where, during the dry season, 



it lives underground, coming out in late autumn and early spring, even occasionally 



in January when the weather is mild. At such times it may often be seen outside 



its hiding-place in the twilight, but during the day mostly remains in moss under 



stones and fallen leaves. It is extremely active, and when disturbed seeks to hide 



itself quickly in deep water, where it passes its tadpole stage. 



The handsome spectacled salamander (Salamandrina ver- 

 Salamanders. .... • i i i 



spicillata), which is about 3 or 4 inches long and is the only 



species with four toes to each foot, is confined to Italy. With a rather broad flat 



