_T. alpestris._–The Alpine Newt is easily distinguished by the rich orange colour of its under parts, which are unspotted, excepting a few dark specks across the throat, below the gular fold. Specimens with many ventro-lateral black spots are exceedingly rare. All the upper parts are dark, but vary individually. The prettiest specimens are dark purplish grey, with black marblings; others incline more towards brown ground-tones, the blackish markings then appearing more prominent. The sides are often stippled with tiny whitish dots. The iris is golden yellow.–The nuptial male has a low, not serrated crest, which extends uninterruptedly from the nape into the dorsal fin of the tail. The crest is pale yellow, with black vertical bands and spots. The ground-colour of the upper parts inclines to blue, especially on the sides. The lower fin of the tail assumes an irregular band of bluish-white confluent patches. This newt is rather small, females rarely exceeding 100 mm. or 4 inches in length. Its home is chiefly the hilly and mountainous parts of Central Europe, from Holland to Lombardy, {127}Austria-Hungary, and Greece. Although it ascends the Alps to between 6000 and 7000 feet, it is also found in the Netherlands, but not in the North German plain. _T. vulgaris_ (s. _taeniatus_, s. _punctatus_).–The Common or Spotted Newt usually reaches 3 inches (7-8 cm.) in length. Boulenger's record-specimen measured 104 mm. It is characterised by the yellow, partly orange under surface, which is always spotted with black. The upper parts are olive-green or brown, inclining to white on the flanks; the black spots of the back, sides, and especially of the tail, are arranged in more or less distinct lines, giving a somewhat banded appearance to some females.–The breeding dress of the male shows a non-serrated, but "festooned" high and very wavy crest, which extends from the neck without interruption into the likewise wavy tail-fin. The tail is adorned with a lateral, glittering blue stripe, interrupted by vertical dark spots. The larvae are marked by a series of yellow dots, which extend over the lateral line and the tail, which latter temporarily possesses a terminal filament like that of the larvae of _T. cristatus_. The distribution of the Spotted Newt is the same as that of _T. cristatus_, namely Europe with the exception of the Iberian Peninsula, and Western Asia.