SHORT STUDIES OF BATRACHIANS. 341 



water, and gives a clear, metallic " peep." This is not so 

 loud as that of an hylodes, or "peeper," though resem- 

 bling it in other respects, nor is it so frequently repeated. 

 Indeed, I have always considered it quite an event to de- 

 tect a triton in the act of " peeping," and I should not 

 have suspected their vocal powers if I had not heard one 

 " give voice " in the aquarium, where it had been confined 

 for many months. 



Like all our frogs, these salamanders lay " bunches " 

 of eggs, which are attached to floating blades of grass. 

 These are soon hatched, and then the young shift for 

 themselves. Like all such young fry, however, they run 

 but little chance of ever reaching maturity, for the mud- 

 minnows, young turtles, and, in fact, every creature larger 

 than themselves, inhabiting the same pond, gobble them 

 up most unceremoniously. 



I am compelled to write thus briefly about them, for, 

 while I have seen both the eggs and very young tritons, 

 I have never watched the process by which the former 

 develops into the latter. This is yearly postponed, on 

 account of a press of other novelties, and now I can 

 only hope to induce some one else to undertake the 

 task. 



De Kay tells us that this salamander is capable of 

 withstanding a low temperature, and thereby gives ground 

 for the inference that other salamanders can not. This, 

 I think, is not true, as they all can bear a considerable 

 degree of cold, and even when frozen they have been 

 known to recover promptly if thawed out very gradually. 

 While hibernation is, I doubt not, a habit common to 

 them all, it is certain that during what are called " open 

 winters " they retain their wonted activity from Novem- 

 ber to March, and this, too, without food of any kind. 

 Whether they live on their fat, or whether there is some 



