THE NEWT. 
67 
Richard Chute, Esq., of Blennerville (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 Kerry 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 Common Warty-Newt, Great Water-Newt, 
Triton cristatus, Laur., 
Was noticed by Templeton : to myself it is unknown. 
The Common Smooth-Newt, or Eft, Lissotriton punctatus, 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 aquations niger ,” as “ foundnn a ditch 
going to Milltown.” This author’s “ Lacertus , Eft, Newt, or Ask,” is 
compounded 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 way a stagnant pool 
may soon be thinned of its numbers. 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.” 
When 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 lifting one of them up and placing it in my hand, the only appearance 
of life which it exhibited, with the exception of its eyes being open, was 
a scarcely perceptible motion of the limbs. The day being warm, I laid it 
on a rock upon which the sun shone brilliantly ; and it was highly 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 Wolf hill, 
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 with its fore-feet placed, as if for 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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