REPTILES IN THE TARN AND THE GREEN LANES. 69 



such disappointments revenged, and such captures 

 disengaged, by the cruel process of pounding the 

 latter under the heel. 



It was formerly a common and general belief, and 

 we have personally met with not a few instances of 

 it, that many of the diseases incident to cattle 

 resulted from the latter drinking water in ponds 

 where efts were unusually abundant. Ancient 

 superstitions linger longest among our agricultural 

 populations, and, even when these have begun to 

 doubt them, they still " survive " among the children. 

 Hence the tales told by the latter, with feelings of 

 breathless awe, pretty much represent the same 

 narratives as repeated by their elders not many 

 generations ago. We have a lively recollection of 

 the way in which the poor efts or newts were 

 regarded by our childish playmates. The common 

 belief was that the toad could " spit fire," and the 

 convulsive action of the throat, caused by these 

 reptiles being obliged to swallow their air instead of 

 breathing it, was sincerely regarded by us as a sign 

 that the toad " was getting ready to spit !" On the 

 other hand, it was equally an orthodox doctrine with 

 us that the efts or " askers," as they are generally 

 called in the north of England, could emit venom. 

 With what feelings of awe did we regard the boy 

 who was bold enough to handle one of these reptiles ! 

 Not even the Maltese looked with greater fear on 

 St. Paul when he handled the viper. Equally, it 

 was an unquestioned belief that the poor, elegant 



