192
THE ESSEX NATURALIST
in striking contrast to its abundance in the Forest ponds, where
earlier work has shown it to be very common.
All the newts removed from the pond were sexually mature,
and most of them were in breeding condition. A few immature
Common and Palmate Newts (probably the previous year's
young) were found, but are not included amongst those counted.
No young Great Warty Newts were found in the pond, although
one or two were found under stones on land. Newts were found
under paving stones up to 50 yards (45 m) away from the pond.
The Great Warty Newts taken in the pond during the latter
weeks of collection were considerably smaller than those taken
earlier on, but they still appeared to be mature. This, and the
fact that at each visit the pond was extensively netted until few
newts were caught, leads me to suggest that the newts were still
entering the pond as late as May. This is in contrast with the
other British amphibians, the frog and the toad, which enter
their breeding ponds in a very short space of time. It may also
be significant that the earliest two collections produced a greater
number of males than females in both the Common Newt (1
female to 1.46 males) and the Great Warty Newt (1 to 1.59),
while in the collections in May the sexes were almost equally
represented; in the latter species (1 to 1) and females more
numerous than males in the Common Newt (1 female to 0.48
male). This suggests that the males enter the breeding ponds
earlier than the females.
In view of the large number of newts found in the pond, its
polluted state when we visited it, and the lack of vegetation, we
were curious to discover what potential food was available. The
invertebrate fauna seemed surprisingly rich, however, for the
water-louse (Asellus sp.), various coleopteron, dipteran and
dragon-fly larvae were found, as well as caddis fly cases and adult
water beetles, Dytiscus marginalis. These organisms were all
taken in the course of netting for newts, and were not especially
searched for. It seems probable, too, that earthworms, slugs.
woodlice and other arthropods may have been carried down the
drainage channel by rain, and might enter the diet of the newts.
G. Malenoir.