A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



BATRACHIANS 



ECAUDATA 



1. Common Frog. Rana temper aria y Linn. 



Although everywhere common, and per- 

 haps because of this, the only definite records 

 of the local occurrence of this species are in 

 the observation of the dates of appearance of 

 frog-spawn at Royston, Harpenden, St. 

 Albans, Watford, Hertford, Ware and Hod- 

 desdon by members of the Hertfordshire 

 Natural History Society. At one or more, 

 and usually several, of these places, the date 

 has been recorded for the fifteen years 1876 

 to 1 890.* The earliest date was February 

 23rd, 1884, the latest April 4th, 1876, and 

 the average date of first appearance March 

 1 4th. 



2. Common Toad. Bufo vulgarity Laur. 

 Too common to require further mention. 



3. Natterjack Toad. Bufo calamita, Laur. 



In a short note on the occurrence of the 

 natterjack at Coombe in Surrey, in Science 



1 Hopkinson, Annual Reports on Phenological 

 Phenomena observed in Hertfordshire, 187690, 

 Trans. Watford Nat. Hist. Soc., vol. ii., and Trans. 

 Herts Nat. Hist. Soc., vols. i.-vi. (1878-91). 



Gossip for 1865 (p. 206), Mr. W. R. Tate 

 incidentally mentions that this species is found 

 ' about Berkhamsted, Herts ' ; and in Bou- 

 lenger's splendid monograph of The Tailless 

 Batrachians of Europe, published by the Ray 

 Society in 1898, Hertfordshire is given as one 

 of the seventeen English counties in which 

 this batrachian occurs (p. 244). 



CAUDATA 



4. Great Crested Newt. Molge cristata, Laur. 



This species, which is also known as the 

 common warty newt, is probably of frequent 

 occurrence throughout the county. Mr. Alan 

 F. Grossman states that it ' is not uncommon 

 in West Herts.' The writer remembers find- 

 ing it in the moat of Berkhamsted Castle so 

 long ago as his schooldays, and has since met 

 with it in several ponds in the neighbourhood 

 of Watford and St. Albans. 



5. Common Newt. Molge vulgaris. Linn. 



(Triton punctatus, Lair.) 



More common than the great crested newt, 

 this 'eft,' as newts are here called, occurs 

 habitually in ponds and ditches of clear water. 

 Mr. Grossman says that it is ' common around 

 Berkhamsted.' 



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