RIVER GARDENS, ETC. 
gerous reptiles, Ireland claiming to be, through the 
4 ‘interposition of St. Patrick,” entirely free from rep¬ 
tiles of all kinds. The little Land Lizard (Lacerta 
agilis) is, however, common in that country; and 
Progs were artificially introduced hy an enthusiastic 
naturalist in the beginning of the last century. It is 
to a Dr. Gwythers that Ireland appears to be indebted 
for this addition to her natural productions. He first 
took over a large number of Progs and placed them 
in the ditches of University Park, but all perished ; 
and it was not till he bethought himself of obtaining 
some bottles of the spawn that he succeeded in 
establishing a breed of Progs in Ireland. This hap¬ 
pened in the time of Dean Swift, who, speaking of 
English abuses in general, says they multiply like a 
colony of Progs, in allusion to the successful experi¬ 
ment of Dr. Gwythers. Every attempt to naturalize 
the Hedge Snake has, however, up to the present 
time, failed; all the attempts of a later naturalist 
to naturalize it in Ireland having hitherto proved 
abortive. 
There are two kinds of Newts, or Water Lizards, 
suited to the Aquarium. The larger is Triton 
cristatus , the skin of which is tuberculated like 
that of the Toad, and may be said to form the 
Toad type of the Water Lizard tribe. This crea- 
93 
