ttquatic JLitt 



the preceding species (P. foliatus), the 

 spines, crest and cutaneous appendages 



being much more developed There 



is no doubt that these fish attach them- 

 selves with the prehensile end of their 

 tail to stems of seaweed or other objects; 

 and when they are in the vicinity of sea- 

 weed of a similar colour, their resem- 

 blance to it must be so great that they 

 would easily escape being observed by 

 their enemies." 



The Red-bellied Newt 



HARRY W. BALLEISEN 



The red-bellied newt of Asia and Ja- 

 pan is a mighty interesting pet for the 

 aquarist. It soon becomes friendly and 



and small snails are desirable as food, 

 but as the newt grows it prefers earth- 

 worms and mealworms. During the win- 

 ter months when worms are unobtainable 

 we may substitute shredded raw meat, 

 but it is necessary to use a pair of for- 

 ceps, wiggling the meat scraps to simu- 

 late a worm. The newts should not be 

 tempted with too large worms or scraps. 

 They gulp their food, and if too large a 

 piece is taken they may later disgorge it. 

 In 1918, when the newts were added to 

 my collection, they measured two inches 

 long. During the summer of the first 

 year the skin was cast off three times, 

 but has not been observed to take place 

 since. The specimens now measure four 



Red-bellied Newt 



Photographs by author 



Diemyctylus pyrrogaster 



learns to take food from the hand. Any 

 sort of a small aquarium, with a few 

 rocks, will be an adequate home. The 

 rocks may be arranged that the upper- 

 most projects above the water surface, 

 and a newt will sometimes evidence his 

 appreciation by perching on the summit, 

 but usually they will be hiding in the 

 crevices, coming out at intervals to search 

 for food. The aquarium should be cov- 

 ered with a piece of glass, as otherwise 

 some may manage to escape and — dry up ! 

 When quite small I find that Daphne 



inches, having grown two inches in two 

 years. 



The eggs of this newt, according to 

 the breeder from whom I secured them, 

 are deposited on a leaf of Sagittaria, the 

 tip of the leaf then being bent over to 

 form a pocket protecting the egg until 

 hatched. 



If you want knowledge, you must toil 

 for it; if food, you must toil for ii, and 

 if pleasure, you must toil for it ; toil is 

 the law. — Ruskin. 



