312 REPTILES AND BATRACHIANS 



Both species thrive in the terrarium, which should be 

 filled with moss and plants, and with rotten wood to furnish 

 interstices in which the inmates may secrete themselves. 

 Tree frogs should be fed on flies and other small insects, 

 meal worms being a convenient form. 



Newts and Salamanders 



The tailed Batrachians fall naturally into two groups: 

 the Newts, which are aquatic when adult, and the Salaman- 

 ders, which are at least partly terrestrial when fully de- 

 veloped. Newts especially are well adapted to life in 

 captivity, thriving in the balanced aquarium, while the sala- 

 manders, especially the larval forms, are very tenacious of 

 life. The breeding habits of the newts and salamanders 

 resemble those of the other batrachians. The eggs are de- 

 posited in the water (in some cases living larvae are born) 

 and the young creatures lead an aquatic existence, breathing 

 by means of gills. When the proper time arrives lungs 

 come into play, the gills disappear, and the adult salamander 

 is ready for terrestrial life. In the case of the newt, the 

 individual does not reach maturity until it again takes to the 

 water. 



The best known species is the Common Newt {Diemyc- 

 tylus viridiscens), which is abundant in ponds in the East. 

 It is two or three inches in length, olive above and yellowish 

 below, the tail being furnished with a fin-like appendage for 

 swimming. In this stage it may be kept in the aquarium, but 

 because of its voracity must not be associated with small 

 fishes. The tiny, brilliant red " lizard " often encountered 

 in moist situations is the immature form of the newt, which 

 has emerged from the water and adapted itself temporarily 

 to life above. This attractive creature will prosper in the 

 terrarium, feeding on small insects, such as plant lice or fruit 

 flies. 



