Amphibians Salamanders and Newts 
some mysterious way it develops the power to again 
breathe the air which is mixed with water. 
The male has the hind legs very large and flat; the 
female is lighter in color and has more delicate and 
smaller legs. It is here in the water that the newts 
find their mates and finish careers which must have 
surely been hazardous. During its long and varied 
life, the newt often sheds its skin like the snake; it 
has a strange habit of swallowing its cast-off coat. 
Thus we see the newt is sometimes fitted for life 
in the aquarium, and sometimes for life in the moss- 
garden; I confess I like it better in the latter place. 
I kept one for a long time in a tiny moss-garden made 
in an aquarium jar. He would not eat earthworms, 
but he was very fond of plant-lice, and it was fun to 
see him stalk them. As soon as he would catch sight 
of a smug plant-louse on the leaf, he would show 
excitement, and hold his breath so the throat ceased 
pulsating; he would hold himself tense, and stretch 
the neck out long and thin, until his snout was within 
half an inch of the unsuspecting plant-louse, then his 
tongue would shoot out and swoop in the aphid. 
Sometimes when he first saw a plant-louse he would 
sneeze and snort, like a dog eager for game. 
HOUSE 
Adult salamanders should be kept in a balanced 
aquarium with plenty of pond-weeds; they will 
spawn readily; the eggs will be placed on water 
plants near the surface of the water; they hatch in 
about two weeks. 
For the newts that are found on land, the moss- 
garden, or a fernery, is the place to keep them. 
Dampness is essential to their existence. 
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