LIZARDS, FROGS AND TOADS 
377 
noticed in eastern South America, but to judge from the cir¬ 
cumstance that one species lives in east Africa, another in west 
Africa, a third in Ecuador, and a fourth in Central America, 
according to Dr. Boulenger,* we may conclude that the genus 
will probably turn up in Guiana. 
The frogs and toads are divided into two groups, one of which 
(a very small one) contains those that are devoid of a tongue, 
while all others possess Ibis useful organ. The tongueless 
toads are generally looked upon as the most primitive of the 
tailless amphibians. Three genera of these creatures are 
known to science, two (Xenopus and Hymenochirus) inhabit¬ 
ing Africa south of the Sahara, the other (Pipa) eastern 
South America. The only member of the last genus is the 
remarkable Surinam toad (Pipa americana) whose skin on 
the back of the female is provided with pits in which the 
eggs are placed and the young undergo their whole metamor¬ 
phosis. These tongueless toads (Aglossa) are not known 
as fossils. We have thus to conjecture the origin of their dis¬ 
persal from their present distribution which is highly sug¬ 
gestive of a former direct land bridge between Africa and 
South America. This view is considerably strengthened by 
the fact that the West African Hymenochirus is in several 
respects more closely related to Pipa than to Xenopus. 
The toothless frogs (Dendrobalidae) appear at first sight 
to be typical examples of a group which has obtained its pre¬ 
sent range by means of a former land bridge between South 
America and Africa. They occur only in northern South 
America, in west Africa and Madagascar, a discontinuous dis¬ 
tribution which betokens antiquity, and which is not unknown 
among other animals and plants. Yet Dr. Gadowf argues 
that the Old World and New World genera were evolved inde¬ 
pendently from toothed frogs, that this is, in fact, a case of 
convergence. It may be so, but his arguments are by no 
means convincing. 
I may once more be permitted to draw attention here to 
the opinion long ago expressed by Dr. Gill J that fishes are 
* Boulenger, G. A., “ Synopsis of apodal Batrachians,” p. 404. 
t Gadow, II., “Amphibia and Reptiles,” p. 272. 
| Gill, T., “ Principles of Zoogeography,” pp. 29—30. 
