Page:British Reptiles, Amphibians, and Fresh-water Fishes.djvu/45

INTRODUCTION strings of Toad's eggs are when (a difficult proposition!) they are taken from their native element and held suspended, the dark chocolate-coloured eggs resembling round beads set in a translucent chain of quicksilver. Quite the reverse holds good with regard to Newts, as they are much more particular in regard to their domestic affairs. Newt's eggs, as a matter of fact, are rarely discovered, except by the enthusiastic pond-dipper, as each egg is separately enveloped, or wrapped, in a leaf which is sealed up until such time as the young tadpole is ready to make good its escape. After hatching, the Frog and Toad tadpoles breathe by means of gills. So also, for that matter, does the tadpole Newt. The former cling for a time to the shapeless mass of jelly-like substance, which thus serves the purpose of a floating raft, but they soon become restless, and wriggle violently until they free themselves from their temporary anchorage. They have, Hke most young people, ravenous appetites, and as they eat, so they grow. The head assumes a bull-dog-like appearance, they become more active as the days pass by, and congregate in shallow water in immense numbers so that the warmth of the greatest alchemist that ever was—the Sun—shall infuse them with energy and gathering strength. At times, the margin of a pond is a seething mass of these animal-torpedoes, and it is a mercy that all do not come to maturity. A great many fall a prey to other tenants of the pond, and as by this time the adults have left its precincts, the youngsters have perforce to shift for themselves. 29