202 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



dinning, and Mr. John Oliver ; in Ettrick, Mr. Mitchell, Mr. 

 Brydon, Mr. Graham, and Mr. Wm. Grieve ; in Yarrow, Mr. 

 Barrie ; in Moffat district, Mr. Steuart, and Mr. Scott ; and 

 in Galloway, Mr. Wm. A. M'Turk ; and among observers, 

 Mr. Robert Service, Mr. Alexander Sturrock, Mr. Jas. Mathie- 

 son, and Mr. John Martin (Shielshaugh, Bowhill, Selkirk). 

 Mr Martin has taken a very great deal of trouble, and 

 supplied much valuable information. 



ON SOME REMARKABLE SPECIMENS OF RANA 

 TEMPORARIA FROM SCOTLAND. 



By G. A. BOULENGER. 



IT has long been known that the common frog grows to a large 

 size in Scotland, and occasionally assumes so peculiar a physi- 

 ognomy as to have been described as a distinct species, Rana 

 scotica, by Thomas Bell. During a recent visit to Cannisbay, 

 Caithness, Dr. J. Anderson, F.R.S., has come across such 

 specimens, of which he has kindly sent me three alive. They 

 are so handsome, and so aberrant in some of their markings, 

 that it may be of interest to put them on record. Two are 

 females, measuring 95 and 93 mm. from snout to vent ; the 

 third is a male, 80 mm. long. They are therefore not only much 

 above the average size, but two even surpass any specimens 

 on record, whether from other parts of Great Britain or from 

 the Continent. In fact, the largest specimen I had seen before 

 is a female from Exeter, preserved in the British Museum, 

 measuring 87 mm. ; and the following are the dimensions 

 of some of the largest Continental specimens examined by 

 me : 



Milan $ 82 mm. c? 69 mm. 



Brussels . . $ 75 $ 69 



Paris . $ 80 c? 79 



St. Malo . . $ 82 



Mt. Ducan, Bellunine Alps, 5300 feet, <? 80 ,, 



Bedriaga records a female from the Tyrol 90 mm. long. 



In both female specimens the ground colour, above and 

 beneath, is sulphur yellow. In the larger specimen, the 



