RED-BELLIED NEWT 
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On August 31st, 1904, I exhibited be- 
fore the Society living examples of the 
Asiatic Red-bellied Newt (Molge pyr- 
rhogastra Boie) and, though I kept them, 
in Sydney, until my removal in April 
last year, they showed no signs of breed- 
ing. 
At the breeding season last year the 
Newts were exhibited at the New Zea- 
land International Exhibition, but they 
were not then suitably housed for breed- 
ing purposes. 
This season, however, they were re- 
turned to the tank in which I kept them 
in Sydney, and, with the exception of 
the exigencies of climate, they are under 
precisely similar conditions. 
The first eggs were laid on October 
roth, and hatched on December 12th; 
subsequent eggs also required about sixty 
Director, South Australian Museum 
PHOTOGRAPH BY MAJOR R. W. SHUFELDT 
aS OS Ps Fr eh 6 a a Ss FS ow 
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| Breeding Habits of 
| the Asiatic Red-bellied Newt 
| EDGAR Ras W/AUKES ban leas 
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days for incubation, the temperature of 
the water ranging from 55 to 65 degrees 
F. The tank is well suplied with plants, 
including //allisneria, Anacharis and 
Myriophyllum, but in every instance the 
first-named was selected. The procedure 
does not appear to differ from that of 
the Crested Newt of Britain (Molge cris- 
tata Laur), as detailed by Rusconi and 
Bell, for though I formerly kept both 
adults and tadpoles of this species, I 
never actually bred it. 
The Red-bellied Newt, as watched in 
my vivarium, usually employs a terminal 
floating portion of a leaf of Vallisneria 
and folds it upon itself, the leaf being 
often cracked in the process. The leaf 
is glued in this position, and the single 
egg, placed within the fold, is similarly 
secured. More rarely an egg is placed 
