THE NEWT. 67 



Richard Chute, Esq., of Blenncrville (County Kerry), gave me the follow- 

 ing information by letter dated 31 March, 1846 : — 



" I believe the natter-jack is indigenous to Kerry, though there is an 

 old tradition that a ship at one time brought a lot of them and let them 

 go at the head of Dingle Bay. This is borne out by the fact that it is 

 the only part of Kei'ry that they are to be met in : a district extending 

 from the Sandhills of Inch and Rosbegh at the head of the bay (where 

 they are most numerous) to Carrignaferay, about ten miles in length of 

 low marshy ground, and about the same number in breadth.'' 



The Com:uon Wakty-Newt, Great Water-Netvt, 

 Triton cristatus, Laur., 



"Was noticed by Templeton : to myself it is unknoMU. 



The Common Smooth-Newt, or Eft, Lissotriton ^ninctatns, Bell, 



Although abundant in some localities, is not universally distributed over 

 the island. 



Dr. Ball informed me in Sept. 1840, that this species is common about 

 Dublin, but that he had never seen one at or near Youghal. 



Mr. M'Calla found them near Tuam, but not in Connemara. I ob- 

 served some of these animals in County Sligo, and in March, 1847, I saw 

 one which had been obtained by Dr. Allman near Roscrea, said by him 

 to be the most southern locality known for the species in Ireland. 



In the Cork Fauna of Dr. Harvey no species of newt appears, and I 

 was informed by Mr. Chute in 1846 that he did not think there were any 

 in Kerry. 



Rutty, in his Natural History of the County of Dublin, mentions the 

 " Water-ask, or Arglogher, Lacertus aquaticus nufer" as " found in a ditch 

 going to Milltown." This author's " Lacertiis, Eft, Newt, or Ask," is 

 com])ounded of the lizard and common newt. 



I have known the latter to be taken plentifully by boys, in the most 

 simple manner, merely by impaling a worm on a crooked pin, which is 

 tied to a string and immersed in the water. In this May a stagnant pool 

 may soon be thinned of its nvunbers. In White's Selbourne, Letter 17, 

 the following observation occurs : — 



" It is to be remembered that the Salamandra aquatica of Ray (the water newt 

 or eft) will frequently bite at the angler's bait, and is often caught on his hook." 



Wlien looking for fluviatile shells in the vicinity of Belfast (between 

 Crawfordsburn and Craigavad) so early as 3rd Sept. 1833, I found two of 

 these newts secreted under large stones in moist situations. 



They were almost torpid, and when touched remained quite passive. 

 On lilting one of them up and placing it in my hand, the only ap])earance 

 of life which it exhibited, with the exception of its eyes being open, was 

 a scarcely percc]itible motion of the limbs. The day l)eiiig warm, 1 laid it 

 on a rock upon which the sun shone brilliantly ; and it was higlily interest- 

 ing to observe the animal gradually recovering its powers, and eventually 

 gathering sufficient strength to crawl off and again conceal itself. On the 

 26th of the same month I perceived a newt of this species at Wolfhill, 

 near Belfast, in a pond of spring-water situated a few paces only from the 

 source of the spring. It was swimming in an awkward, wriggling manner, 

 and pausing for a few minutes Avith its fore-feet placed, as if lor rest, on 

 every fallen leaf or twig floating on the water, although these substances 

 were occasionally not more than a foot apart. I knew not whether to at- 



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