from their breeding ponds. In this account he at once subverts that foolish opinion of their dropping from the clouds in rain; showing that it is from the grateful coolness and moisture of those showers that they are tempted to set out on their travels, which they defer till those fall.* Frogs are as yet in their tadpole state; but, in a few weeks, our lanes, paths, and fields, will swarm for a few days with myriads of those emigrants, no larger than my little finger nail. Swammerdam gives a most accurate account of the method and situation in which the male impregnates the spawn of the female. How wonderful is the economy of Providence with regard to the limbs of so vile a reptile! While it is an aquatic it has a fish-like tail, and no legs: as soon as the legs sprout, the tail drops off as useless, and the animal betakes itself to the land!

Merret, I trust, is widely mistaken when he advances that the rana arborea is an English reptile; it abounds in Germany and Switzerland.†

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. I used to take it for granted that the salamandra aquatica was hatched, lived, and died, in the water. But John Ellis, Esq., F. R. S. (the coralline Ellis) as

There are many well-authenticated instances of the actual fact, however strange as it may seem, of tadpoles, and small frogs, and the young fry of fishes being precipitated in considerable numbers from above, and some of them, too, in situations considerably distant from any place where they could have been bred. Mr. Loudon records one in the Magazine of Natural History, vol. ii., p. 103. "When at Rouen," he relates, " in September, 1828, I was assured by an English family, resident there, that, during a heavy thunder shower, accompanied by violent wind, and almost midnight darkness, an innumerable multitude of young frogs fell on and around the house. The roof, the window-sills, and the gravel walks were covered with them. They were very small, but perfectly formed; all dead. The most obvious way," he continues, "of accounting for this phenomenon is by supposing the water and frogs of some adjacent ponds to have been taken up by wind in a sort of whirl or tornado." The following is from a number of the Belfast Chronicle: "As two gentlemen were sitting conversing on a causey pillar, near Bushmills, they were very much surprised by the occurrence of a heavy shower of frogs, half formed, falling in all directions, some of which have been preserved in spirits, and are now exhibited to the curious by the two resident apothecaries in Bushmills." Capt. Brown relates an instance of a shower of young herrings falling in Kinross-shire, many of which were picked up in the fields around Loch Leven by persons of his acquaintance. Numerous other similar cases are recorded in different numbers of the Edinburgh Philosophical Journal.-En.

+ This beautiful little species is not British, though it occurs in Normandy. It pertains to the genus hyla. Another member of the genus rana, however, or true frog, has been discovered in Forfarshire by Mr. Don, and since near Edinburgh by Dr. Stark. It has been supposed by some to be identical with the R. esculenta, or edible frog of the continent, a species very common in the south of Europe. "That they are not," observes the Rev. L. Jenyns, " simple varieties of

serts, in a letter to the Royal Society, dated June the 5th, 1766, in his account of the mud inguana, an amphibious bipes from South Carolina, that the water-eft, or newt, is only the larva

Tadpoles.

of the land-eft, as tadpoles are of frogs. Lest I should be suspected to misunderstand his meaning, I shall give it in his own words. Speaking of the opercula or coverings to the gills of the mud inguana, he proceeds to say that " the form of these pennated coverings approach very near to what I have some time ago observed in the larva or aquatic state of our English lacerta, known by the name of eft, or newt;* which serve them for coverings to their gills, and for fins to swim with while in this state; and which they lose, as well as the fins of their tails, when they change their state and become land animals, as I have observed, by keeping them alive for some time myself.”+

the R. temporaria" (the common kind) "is probable from the circumstance of Dr Stark's having observed osteological differences between them and the species just alluded to. But," he continues, "I think it remains to be shown that they are really the R. esculenta." The edible frog is larger than the common species, of an olive-green colour, spotted with black. It has three longitudinal streaks of yellow down the back; under parts yellowish.-ĘD.

These curious creatures, very commonly known when upon land by the term eft, and in the water by that of newt,† do not permanently reside in either element, as I shall presently show. They constitute the modern genus triton, and are not to be confounded with the saurian, or lizard. tribe, which in shape they resemble, but from which they essentially differ. They are not rep

tiles, as that appellation is now judiciously limited (all of which produce upon land, and are more or less covered with scales), but pertain to the newly-established equivalent sub-class amphibia, propagating by spawn, which is vivified subsequently to its extrusion, and which (at least in our native species) is deposited near the surface on aquatic herbage, in long catenated strings. They belong to the family salamandrida, which, together with the ranide (comprising the frogs and toads), is arranged in the first order, or primary division of the sub-class caducibranchia, or those with deciduous gills, that exist for a certain period in a tadpole or larva state,and cast several suc. cessive skins before assuming the adult appearance, breathing during the first stage of their existence by means of gills, and afterwards by lungs. It is stated that they do not propagate till the third year. They are harmless, inoffensive animals, as indeed are all the members of this sub-class; and, although some of them may not, perhaps, come exactly up to our notions of beauty and seemimess, there is nothing in them to merit our disgust, nor to excite our hatred and abhorrence, nought whatever to extenuate the senseless persecution with which they are too generally assailed by the vulgar. Neither these nor a single member of the lizard tribe are at all venomBy many the term eft is applied to the T. palustris, and new to the T. punctatus.-ED.

Linnæus, in his Systema Naturæ, hints at what Mr. Ellis advances 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 irenessaryry

Thereaza at least three British species, two of which are well known: and widely distributed; the third T vittatus), having only recently been distinguished, and, as yet, being only known to occus wear London; the other two are extremely common, I believe, throughout the country, being everywhere found-abundantly in ditches, ponds, and other stagnant 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 fully developed, these not being (as is at present the common opinion among naturalists) observable in the summer months only, though they probably breed very 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. palustris lies usually almost: motions less upon the mad 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 membranons 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 haic 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 membranes upon land, and such are probably incapable of propagation. I have now before me (February) several live specimens of T. palustris and I'. punctatus 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 the hope of inducing some who may be curious on the subject to investigate those kinds which may 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 appearance, with a flat head, and snout obtuse and rounded; skin rough, and on the upper parts dark olive, spotted with black, every where 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 (7. 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 festooned, 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 membraue along the back. The bind 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

Viper.

Providence has been so indulgent to us as to allow of but one venomous reptile of the serpent kind in these kingdoms, and that is the viper. As you propose the good of mankind to be an object of your publications, you will not omit to mention common salad-oil as a sovereign remedy against the bite of the viper. As to the blind worm (anguis fragilis, so called because it snaps in sunder with a small blow), I have found, on examination, that it is perfectly innocuous. A neighbouring yeoman (to whom I am indebted for some good hints) killed and opened a female viper about the twenty-seventh of May: he found her filled with a chain of eleven eggs, about the size of those of a blackbird; but none of them were advanced so far towards a state of maturity as to contain any rudiments of young. Though they are oviparous, yet they are viviparous also, hatching their young within their bellies, and then bringing them forth. Whereas snakes lay chains of eggs every summer in my melon beds, in spite of all that my people can do to prevent them; which eggs do not hatch till the spring following, as I have often experienced.* Several intelligent folks assure me that they have seen the viper open her orange in the spring, everywhere marked with large round spots of black, of unequal sizes. The female is considerably less spotted, and of a duller hue, the spots being everywhere very much smaller, and sometimes quite wanting on the under parts. "When on land," as is accurately remarked by Mr. Jenyns, "the skin loses its softuess, becoming at the same time opaque and somewhat corrugated; the various membranes disappear; the toes, from being rounded, become flattened; and the colours are everywhere more obscure. In this state it is the lacerta vulgaris of Sheppard and Turton (and probably of Linnæus also), the triton vulgaris of Fleming, the brown lizard of Pennant, and the common newt of Shaw." Very small specimens have occasionally been met with upon land, which have given rise to the erroneous supposition that the land ones are a distinct species, and probably viviparous. To account for these, Mr. Jenyns has suggested that, in cases where their haunts have been dried up, the young animal may very possibly absorb its gills prematurely, in order that it might be enabled to accommodate itself to its new circumstances.

The streaked newt (T. vittatus) is allied to the preceding species, and was first detected by Mr. Gray, in ponds near London. The skin is smooth, of a pale colour, with unequal black spots, which are smaller than in the T. punctatus; tail of a darker hue than the back: under parts, together with a broad streak along each side of the body and tail, whitish. Some (probably the females) are described to be "above black, beneath white, throat black-spotted, dorsal cres: none." It is rather larger than the T. pinctatus; the male has a high, deeply-notched dorsa! crest, commencing in front of the eyes, and with a deep notch over the vent, continued into a comparatively very low entire crest, extending the whole length of the tail. Some have the caudal crest distinct.-ED

The young, however, appear almost ready for exclusion before the winter. Mr. White's term "chains of eggs" is by no means a felicitous expression, to judge from all that I have ever seen; they are of the size of those of a garden merle (or blackbird), and covered with a tough elastic skin, which, at the time of deposition, is lubricated with a wet mucus, that on drying

mouth and admit her helpless young down her throat on sudden surprises, just as the female opossum does her brood into the pouch under her belly, upon the like emergencies; and yet the London viper-catchers insist on it, to Mr. Barrington, that no such thing ever happens.* The serpent kind eat, I believe, but once in a year; or, rather, but only just at one season of the year. Country people talk much of a water-snake, but, I am pretty sure, without any reason; for the common snake (coluber natrix) delights much to sport in the water, perhaps with a view to procure frogs and other food.†

I cannot well guess how you are to make out your twelve species of reptiles, unless it be by the various species, or rather varieties, of our lacerti, of which Ray enumerates five. I have not had opportunity of ascertaining these; but remember well to

binds them, just as they happen to have fallen, in irregular, agglutinate masses, so that they are not easily torn asunder. When newly laid, they quickly shrivel up if exposed to the air, till in a few hours they appear not more than half full; but, if placed in a moist situation, very speedily again dilate, and hatch without having experienced injury. It is hardly necessary to add that, the eggs of all reptiles are composed of gelatin (isinglass), and not of albumen, as are those of birds. The scaly covering of this animal is, however, composed chiefly of coagulate albumen.— ED.

* This is perfectly correct, however; I know eye-witnesses of the fact, one of whom, on whose word I can place strict reliance, tells me that he has himself seen as many as thirteen young vipers thus enter the mouth of their parent, which latter he afterwards killed, and opened, for the purpose of counting them.-En.

+ There are few observers but must have often noticed this. All the true serpentida, I believe, readily take the water; the boa constrictor has been met with out at sea, as has also our common ringed-snake, on more than one occasion. There is an instance recorded of a viper having seized the artificial fly of an individual fishing in one of the Scottish lakes, on the verge of the estuary of a river. It was finally drowned by dragging it into the current against the stream. I am not aware, however, that any of the anguida (the group to which our common brittling or "slowworm" belongs), enter the water.-ED.

* The different British members of the sub-class amphibia have already been mentioned; viz., two species of frog (rana), one of which is, however, much in need of further investigation; two of toad (bufo), and perhaps a third; and three of newt (triton), more than which probably remains to be discovered: all these pertain to the first order, caducioranchia.

Of the sub-class reptilia, order testudinata, two species are occasionally met with in our seas; the leathern spharge (sphargis coriacea), a native of the Mediterranean, of very large size, Britishcaught specimens having been adjudged to weigh 800lbs., and measuring six feet nine inches in length, the species being described to attain a length of eight feet; and the imbricate turtle (chelonia imbricata), a native of the American seas, and of very rare occurrence in those of Europe, measuring generally (according to Shaw's Zoology) about three, sometimes five feet in length. Of the second order, sauriu, we have but two satisfactorily ascertained species; the common heath-lizard (lacerta agilis), everywhere abundant upon moors and sunny banks, and sometimes woods, rarely exceeding six inches in length, of a bluish colour when the cuticle is newly cast, becoming gradually more brown till it is shed again, marked down the back with a black list, and with corresponding streaks of black along the sides, accompanied with other rows of spots more or less regular, and the male of which is orange underneath, in this presenting a curious resemblance to some of the newts; and the sand lizard (L. stirpium), a larger and every way more bulky species, which (though common in France) has only recently been two or three times met with in this country, probably from the gross neglect with which the present sub-class of