THE NEWT. 79 



required for the aeration of the blood that the animal 

 cannot take with it a supply of air, but substitutes a 

 reservoir of clearly aerated blood. The reptiles, how- 

 ever, being cold-blooded animals, do not require so 

 much oxygen, and, in consequence, they are able to 

 take with them a quantity of air which suffices them 

 for a considerable period. 



For this purpose, the lungs are composed of cells 

 very much larger in proportion to the size of the animal 

 than those of the mammalia. Thus, only a portion of 

 the blood is at a time brought into contact with the 

 air within the lungs, and a comparatively small supply 

 can last for a considerable time before its properties 

 are exhausted. As the quantity is so small, the act of 

 respiration can be performed in a very short time ; and 

 a Newt which has been below the water for a long time 

 will just wriggle its way to the surface, put its head 

 partly out of the water, take a single quick breath, and 

 then wriggle its way down again, the whole business 

 being transacted in so short a time that if the observer 

 be armed with a net he must be very quick in his 

 movements if he can capture the Newt before it has 

 descended beyond his reach. 



Generally all the Salamanders, as these creatures 

 are collectively termed, are of small size ; but there 

 are one or two exceptions, the most illustrious of 

 which is the Giant Salamander (Sieboldm maxima), of 

 Japan, which is about a yard in length, and very 

 broad in proportion to its width, so that it is really 

 a large animal. It does not possess the beautiful 

 green and orange hues of our own little Newt, but is 

 black-brown, and all covered with warty knobs, so 



