_T. palmatus_ s. _helveticus_.–This is the smallest of all the European newts, rarely reaching more than 3 inches in length. It is distinguished by several specific characters. The tail ends in a thread which is in some males 10 mm. in length, but is only just indicated in the female. The breeding male develops a cutaneous fold along each side of the back, and a low, entire, vertebral crest; the toes are fully webbed. The under parts are pale yellow, inclining to orange towards the middle of the belly, and with a few blackish dots. The lower caudal crest has its edge blue in the male, orange in the female. The general colour of the smooth skin is olive-brown above, with numerous dark spots, which are arranged in more longitudinal streaks on the head. The Webbed Newt is a native of Western middle Europe, ranging from Great Britain and Northern Spain to Switzerland and Western Germany. Closely allied to the last species are _T. boscai_ of Spain and Portugal, _T. italicus_, _T. montadoni_ of Moldavia, and the {128}beautiful _T. vittatus_ of Asia Minor. From China and Japan are known _T. pyrrhogaster_ and _T. sinensis_. The North American species are _T. torosus_ and _T. viridescens_. The former, of Western North America, is one of the largest newts, reaching a length of more than six inches. The head is much depressed and broad, and has very prominent parotoid and other glands. The limbs are strong, especially in the male. The skin of the upper parts is very granular, uniform dark brown, without a crest. The tail, which is larger than the head and body, is strongly compressed, with a low dorsal and ventral fin. The under parts and the lower edge of the tail are uniform yellow or orange red. The iris is green. A specimen in my keeping spends most of its time in the cracks of rotten stumps or on the top of moss in the darkest shade. It lives on earthworms but despises insects. Like most of the other newts it becomes lively at dusk. [Illustration: FIG. 24.–_Triton viridescens._ 1, Egg just after deposition, with the outer membrane opened, × 6; 2, a spermatophore just discharged showing its gelatinous base with a projecting spike which bears a tuft of spermatozoa, × 2. (After Jordan.)]