

GROUP OF MALES AND FEMALES OF THE SMOOTH NEWT. 

 The Female at the top of the picture is rising to the surface for air. 



HOW TO KNOW THE AMPHIBIANS 



By DOUGLAS ENGLISH, B.A., F.R.P.S. 

 Author of "Wee Tim'rous Beasties," " Beasties Courageous," etc. 



THE NEWTS 



THE GREAT WARTY NEWT. THE SMOOTH NEWT. 



With Photographs by the Author 



THE PALMATED NEWT. 



AMPHIBIAN" is a term which this country. The first, Urodela ( = with 

 , strictly applies only to creatures obvious tails), embraces our three species 

 which can respire either air or of newts; the second, ^-l;n^rrt ( = tail-less), 

 water ; it is loosely applied, however, to air- our two species of frogs and two species 

 breathing creatures of aquatic habit, such of toads. All seven of these species lay 

 as seals or alligators, who spend as much of their eggs in water, and their tadpoles 

 their lives in or under water as out of it ; are, to commence with, purely aquatic, 

 and it is also applied, in scientific termino- respiring water bv means of gills, and re- 

 logy, to creatures who in the earliest stage maining permanently below the surface, 

 of their free existence respire water, in a In the course of their development the 

 transition stage respire water or air, and gills atrophy, and eventually are replaced 

 in the final adult stage respire air. Two by air-])reathing lungs. A transition stage 

 Orders of amphibians are represented in occurs in which gills and lungs are simul- 



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