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THE ESSEX NATURALIST
Common Newt (Triturus vulgaris)
This newt continues to hold its own in all Forest ponds, i.e.
Goldings, Baldwins, Blackweir, Wake Valley, Strawberry Hill,
Fairmead and several bomb-craters and ditches. It is also found
nearer to London, being extremely common in most of the ponds
in the Forest in the Walthamstow area. This newt enters the
water quite early in the year and we have taken specimens in
February, but at this time the males have not developed their
breeding dress and it is not until April that they will be seen in
this state. As with most newts they seem to favour certain parts
of a pond, and can only be found in these spots, which are usually
weedy or with clumps of sunken grass. These are areas obviously
containing food in abundance and it is possible at times to collect
as many as six to eight newts in one sweep of the net. Males and
females seem to be equally distributed, as we have discovered on
taking a regular count.
Palmate Newt (Triturus helvetica)
This newt surprisingly is the most common in the Forest. It
differs from the Common Newt by its smaller size, its palmate
rear feet, double dorsal ridges, and in the male the smaller crest
and the filament on the end of the tail. The female is much more
difficult to identify and the only positive means is to check the
underside of the chin and throat which will have no spots or
markings, whereas the female Common Newt is plentifully
endowed with these identifying marks, although some have been
seen in which these marks have been few.
The Palmate Newt stays in the ponds for a far longer period
than the Common Newt, and although it can be found in the
water just as early, we have collected specimens in excellent con-
dition in early November. This makes us think that it is possible
that some overwinter in the ponds, a theory as yet unproved.
It is interesting to note that newts have quite loud voices for
their size and can bite, as we have frequently discovered.
Common Toad (Bufo bufo)
The Common Toad continues to be the most numerous
amphibian in the Forest. During spawning time nearly all the
ponds are heavily populated with mated Toads, males appearing
to be more common than the females, and many females being in
amplexus with up to seven males.
As the Toad tends to spawn in deeper water and the eggs are
laid in long strings entangled with the weeds, it is far more diffi-
cult to disentangle the spawn for collection, and therefore,
compared with Frogs, far more Toads hatch and live to leave the
water.
When the tadpoles are nearly metamorphosed it is quite com-
mon to see great masses of them congregating in certain parts of a
pond, and during July and August the great exodus begins and
thousands of small Toads begin their migration to the various