58 University of California Publications in Zoology [Vol. 27 
Several abnormalities have been noted in the rather large number 
of newts which have passed the writer ’s notice in the last thirteen 
years. A larva about 30 millimeters long seen near Berkeley in the 
autumn of 1911 had a supernumerary hind limb on one side. One 
adult with bifid tail was seen in a pond near Oakland early in March, 
1912, and at least one other of similar character was noted on another 
occasion. A specimen collected in March, 1912, had a gourd-shaped 
outgrowth on one side of the throat region. 
The building of paved roads in the hills about Berkeley and the 
frequent use of these roads at night by automobiles results annually 
in the death of a considerable number of newts in their movements 
to and from the spawning ponds. The building of a railroad along the 
north side of Thornhill Pond in 1913 placed a barrier about 30 feet 
in height which the newts summering on the slopes north of the pond 
were obliged to cross. In succeeding winters numbers of the animals 
were killed by passing trains as they attempted to cross the tracks 
by climbing up on the ‘fish-plates,’ 
Chandler (1918) has indicated the possibility of using this newt in 
mosquito control work. The species, it seems to me, is adapted to use 
in some places where the top minnow ( Gambusia affinis ) is unsuited, 
particularly in the cooler portions of the Pacific coast region where 
Gambusia is less likely to thrive. 
The life-history in relation to the environment. — Too little is 
known about the habits and seasonal program of Triturus torosus in 
places other than the San Francisco Bay region to permit of extensive 
discussion of probable adaptive features in its seasonal cycle. At and 
about Berkeley the climatic conditions are so different from those 
obtaining in other parts of the State that a different adjustment on 
the part of this salamander evidently occurs. At the Thornhill Pond 
near Berkeley laying begins soon after the first heavy midwinter 
rains, as on December 29 (1921) and December 25 (1922). Laying 
there was suspended during a cold wave at the end of January, 1922, 
to be resumed with the advent of warmer weather about two weeks 
later. Laying is practically finished in this pond by the first week of 
March. It may be that the presence of a permanent pool, with a 
relatively large drainage basin, ensuring early filling in connection 
with mild winter temperatures is the basis for early egg deposition. 
Data from eggs and larvae in other localities indicate March, 
April, and May (even June 1) as the time of spawning. Under orig- 
inal conditions ponds were uncommon in the lowlands of California 
save along the courses of certain of the foothill creeks. These ponds, 
