Dr. A. Giinther on the Geographical Distribution of Reptiles. 313 



Of the twelve species from these islands, five are identical vdth spe- 

 cies in Europe, and one (Triton subcristatus) belongs to a European 

 genus. Three genera of Urodeles are peculiar to Japan, Sieboldia 

 being more closely allied to Menopoma from America than to any 

 other genus. Polypedates schlegelii is a single representative of an 

 East Indian genus, species of which, however, are also met with in 

 Madagascar. Thus we find Japan supplied with Snakes from a tro- 

 pical, and with Batrachians from an arctic region. 



II. ^Ethiopian Region. 



Characteristic forms. — Dactylethra, Tomopterna^ Heteroglossat 

 Stenorhynchus, Arthroleptis, Schismadermay Hemisus, Breviceps, 

 Chiromantis, Hyperolius, Leptopelis, Brachymerus. 



Forms common to other regions. — Cystignathus, Hylarana, 

 Polypedates. 



There are nearly 60 species known, all belonging to the Anura, 

 which number would give a single species for every 200,000 square 

 miles, or for each 70,000 square miles if we are allowed to refer 

 the number of species only to the area of the more- or less-known 

 parts, — a ratio which shows the great progress of our knowledge 

 during the last few years. This region was said to be especially 

 poor in Tree-frogs ; and the reason for this was an overstated po- 

 verty of trees. The genus Hyla is here replaced by Hyperolius — 

 as abundant in species as, or even proportionally more than Hyla : 

 one species, Hyla aubryiy was believed to be a representative of true 

 Hyla; but a closer examination has shown that even this species 

 differs from it by having cylindrical diapophyses of the sacral verte- 

 bra, forming a separate genus, Leptopelis. If we add the other Ethio- 

 pian Batrachians living on trees, we find the number of the Platy- 

 dactyla nearly one-half of that of the Oxydactyla — quite in accord- 

 ance with the observation made on the Snakes of this region. There 

 are so very few species of Batrachians known from Madagascar, that 

 we are not yet enabled to compare its Batrachian fauna with that 

 of the continent ; and those few are all peculiar to this island. 



III. Indian Region. 



Characteristic forms. — Oxyglossus, Leptobrachium, Megalophrys, 

 Ceratophryne, Asterophrys, Uperodon, Diplopelma, Kalophrynus, 

 Ixalus, RhacophoruSy Micrhyla^ Kaloula. 



Forms common to other regions. — Hylarana^ Polypedates, 

 Cornufery Platy mantis. 



The Indian region does not exhibit a greater abundance of 

 Batrachians, in comparison with the ^Ethopian, such as we found 

 to be the case with Snakes. The number of species is nearly the 

 same. This is the more to be wondered at as the climate of the 

 East Indies might be supposed to be most adequate to the life of 

 Anuray and most productive of specific as well as of generic forms 

 and of individuals. Moreover, the East Indies are comparatively 

 well known ; and the collection of the British Museum contains such 



