NEWTS. 
55 
Linnaeus, in his Systema Naturae, hints at what Mr. Ellis ad- 
vances more than once. 
ous ; and it is a discredit to the present age of pretended general enlightenment that such a re- 
mark should be deemed necessary. 
There are at least three British species, two of which are well known and widelj^ distributed ; 
the third (T. vittatus) having onlj' receutly been distinguished, and, as yet, being only known to 
occur near London ; the other two are extremely common, I believe, throughout the country, 
being everywhere found abundantl}' in ditches, ponds, and other stagn?nt waters, from the 
commencement of winter to the close of summer. In winter they lie buried in the soft mud, or 
under the subaqueous masses of decaying leaves, but crawl forth from their retreats in mild 
weather, when it will be seen that their membranous appendages are then fuUj' developed, these 
not being (as is at present the common opinion among naturalists) observable in the summer 
months only, though they probably breed verj' early in mild seasons. They are sluggish and 
inactive creatures, but voracious, and, as Mr. White observes, *' will frequently bite at the angler's 
bait, and are often caught on the hook," the smooth skinned kind being rather more lively in their 
habits, and fond of swimming in the sunshine, while the T- palusfris lies usuallj' almost motion - 
Jess upon the mud at a slight depth, and seldom rises to the surface except to breathe. After 
producing, they mostly (I believe all the adults) quit the water, at which time their mem- 
branous ornaments disappear, and, as is remarked by White (p. 62), "people every summer 
see numbers crawling out of the pools where they are hatched, upon the dry banks," a 
habit apparently necessary for their dispersion. They then move about chiefly by night, when 
the dew is on the grass (the heavy dews of autumn particularly favouring their habits), or 
by day in moist weather, or in shady and damp situations, retiring when the ground is dry 
into holes and crevices, and not unfrequently finding their way into pits and cellars, whence 
there is no outlet for them, and where, accordingly, many are obliged to pass the winter, 
from being unable to regain their native element. They do not acquire their ornamental mem- 
branes upon land, and such are probably incapable of propagation. I have now before me 
(February) several live specimens ofT. palustris and 7\ punctalus from a neighbouring pond, all of 
which have these appendages developed, while others of the former species just brought me from 
a saw-pit, exhibit no sign of them whatever. I shall subjoin rather a detailed account of the 
distinctive characters of our three known species, not only to enable the reader to identify them 
with facility, but also in tht hope of inducing some who may be curious on the subject to 
investigate those kinds which M»ay occur in their vicinity, in which case I think it highly proba- 
ble that some additional sorts will be discovered. 
The warty newt (T. palustris) is considerably the largest, varying, when full grown, from four 
to six inches in length, seldom more. It has rather an uncouth and far from prepossessing ap- 
pearance, with a flat head, and snout obtuse and rounded ; skin rough, and on the upper parts dark 
olive, spotted with black, everywhere studded with small tubercles, which, on the sides, throat, and 
under part of the legs, are white, and which, in fact, are glandular vesicles, from whence exudes a 
peculiar and rather fetid secretion, which serves when upon land to keep the creature always moist 
and clammy ; under parts bright orange-yellow, with irregular large spots of black, which in 
general are more or less confluent. In the male, the abdomen is rather shorter, compared with 
the entire length, than in the other sex ; the hind feet are somewhat larger and stronger ; and 
the back, during the period it annually remains in the water, is ornamented with an elevated 
membranous crest, commencing between the eyes, and running longitudinally down the mesial 
line to near the tail, which last is also furnished with a similar but separate membrane along its 
upper and under edges, causing it to appear at the base as broad as the body, both membranes, 
but more particularly the dorsal, being deeply jagged and serrated. In the female there is only 
a slight dorsal ridge occupying the place of the membrane in the other sex. I have said that these 
appendages entirely disappear after the breeding season. 
The spotted newt (T. punctatus — maculosus would be better) measures, when grown, from three 
to four inches, being at once distinguishable from the last by its much smaller size, and smooth, 
soft skin. The body is proportionably shorter, and the tail, relatively, rather longer, and ending 
in a sharper point. The dorsal crest of the male commences at the back of the head, and is 
continuous to the end of the tail, not deeply jagged, as in the last species, but uniformly fes- 
tooned, or crenate, throughout its whole length ; that under the tail is smooth and even, as is 
also that on the upper part of the tail in the female, which latter has hardly a trace of mem- 
brane along the back. The hind toes also of the male are broadly fringed with dilated membranes. 
Colours very variable, olivaceous on the upper parts, and yellowish beneath, passing into bright 
