Page:British Reptiles, Amphibians, and Fresh-water Fishes.djvu/42

BRITISH AMPHIBIANS II. CLASS AMPHIBIA, OR FROGS, TOADS, AND NEWTS

Introduction.—The British Amphibians consist of seven species, so that they resemble in this respect the Reptiles previously dealt with. But although the number of species is almost identical, they differ in many ways, and a brief introduction of their salient features may here be attempted. Of the seven species with which we have to deal, four, the two Frogs and two Toads, do not, except in their tadpole stage, possess tails; the remaining three species, the Newts, carry tails all through life. Further, the Ranidæ (the Frogs), have teeth in the upper jaw, whilst the Bufonidæ (the Toads), are toothless. Frogs have a clean smooth skin; Toads have a warty covering which at once distinguishes them. Newts are highly ornamented and coloured in the breeding season as we shall presently discover. It may well be asked: "What constitutes an Amphibian? And the reply may be given: it is a cold-blooded animal which passes through various stages before reaching the adult state, and at some period of its existence spends part of its time in water and the remainder on land. Indeed, even when 26