170 AXURA CHAP. 



B. vulgar is. The Common Toad of the Palaearctic region. 

 The skin of the upper parts is much wrinkled and beset with 

 numerous round warts or poison-glands, the openings of which 

 can be seen with the naked eye, especially on the large parotoid 

 complexes. The outermost layer of the epiderrn, in fact all that 

 portion which is periodically shed, is elevated into numerous 

 little cornified spines. The extent of their development varies 

 much ; southern specimens, especially those from Portugal, being 

 perhaps the roughest. Others appear quite smooth to the touch, 

 and this is the case with many English specimens. The skin 

 of the under parts is more granular and devoid of specific glands. 

 The general colour of the upper parts is olive grey to dark 

 brown, more or less mottled ; the under parts are whitish, often 

 with a brown, yellow or reddish tinge. 



The coloration of this species varies considerably and is more- 

 over very changeable. These changes depend chiefly upon the 

 surroundings and the locality, in which certain styles of coloration 

 seem to be the fashion, not necessarily to the absolute exclusion 

 of others. Some specimens are of a rich brown colour, with or 

 without dark brown spots and patches, and these are sometimes 

 confluent, forming irregular, longitudinal bands. The ground- 

 colour of other individuals is olive grey, with or without darker 

 patches, and these paler tones prevail in toads which live 

 on light-coloured soil, for instance on chalk. I recently found 

 one between two dark-coloured slates, and this creature was so 

 black that it gave the impression of having soiled itself with 

 coal-dust. One and the same specimen will appear paler or 

 darker according to its mood and the leading tones of its 

 immediate surroundings, but it cannot change its dominant 

 ground-colour. A third colour-variety occurs more frequently 

 in the mountainous districts of Southern Europe. I have ob- 

 tained the most handsome specimens in the Serra Gerez, in North 

 Portugal. Their ground-colour is pale brownish-yellow, with 

 many large and small, rich brown patches, or if the latter colour 

 predominates, these patches and spots are separated from each 

 other by creamy seams, w r ith the occasional effect of dark brown, 

 yellow-ringed eyes. Eastern Asiatic specimens often have a 

 fine yellow vertebral line and the under parts are inclined to be 

 marked with dark spots. 



The iris is red or coppery, mottled with black. The male 



