“The male has a huge crest, and is gay with bright colours.
“The female has no crest. She lays her eggs upon the pond weeds. A single egg is laid upon a leaf. The leaf is then rolled round it, so as to hide it from enemies.”
“Very good, Tom,” said his uncle; “but you have not told us about the newt’s skin.”
“Oh, I forgot that,” Tom went on. “The newt has a lovely silky skin, which it only wears for about a week, then it casts it off. Now, tell us something more about them, Uncle George.”
“The newt does not live in the water all the year,” said Uncle George. “During autumn and winter great families of newts sleep together under stones and in dry holes in the earth. They only go to the pond in early spring to lay their eggs.”
“Do newts ever become frogs or toads?” asked Frank.
“Oh no, Frank, never. I know what makes you think that. It is because the young frog, just before he loses his tail, is very like a little newt.
“Young newts are tadpoles too, but they differ very much from frog tadpoles. Newt tadpoles live in the pond for more than a year. They have feathery outside gills on all that time. Their fore feet are formed first. If you remember, our frog tadpoles got their hind legs first.
“Long ago people believed all sorts of absurd things about the poor, harmless newt. They were afraid to touch it. Every newt found was killed at once, for it was thought to have a sting and poison bag. Even at the present day many people believe that newts and toads are dangerous animals.”
“How can you tell a toad from a frog, Uncle George,” Tom asked.