Strecker — Toads from Southeastern Texas. 117 



Some of the larger ( female ) specimens of this species attain a total length 

 of ;^)8 mm. The average length of twenty adults (10 males and 10 females) 

 is about 30 mm. The body is stout, the greatest width of a finely pre- 

 served exami^le 37 nnii. in length being 21 mm. The up^ier surfaces are 

 black, brown or dark gray. The markings are usually in the form of two 

 oblique bands (black or brown) one on each side, extending from the 

 eyes to the posterior part of the body. Under surfaces gray or light brown, 

 speckled with white or light yellow. The head is pointed, but not so 

 conspicuously as in the slender-bodied lexense. Canthus rostralis not promi- 

 nent. The limbs are longer and heavier than those of the other two species. 

 The skin is either entirely smooth or very slightly pustular on the posterior 

 portion of the body. The inner sole tubercle is larger tlian in examples 

 of texense of approximately the same size. 



The single example from Paris, Texas (No. 271, Hurter Coll. ), is one of 

 the largest examined and one of the most typical. The under surfaces 

 are darker than usual and the blotches are unusually distinct. The inner 

 sole tubercle is larger than in examples of the same size from Florida, 

 Missouri, and Alabama. 



An example from Cliff Cave, St. Louis County, Missouri (No. Ill, 

 Hurter Coll. ), is the lightest colored specimen in the series but the mark- 

 ings are of the same type as in more eastern examples ( North Carolina and 

 Georgia). Three large specimens from Butler County, Missouri (Baylor 

 University Collection ), present a rather peculiar color pattern. The usual 

 obliijue bands are present but the dorsal area is heavily mottled with 

 darker shades. 



Examples from Mobile, Alabama (No. 2763, Hurter Coll.), and St. 

 Tammany County, Louisiana (No. 957, Hurter Coll.), are unusually dark. 

 The Louisiana specimen, while less than half grown, has the inner sole 

 tul)ercle well developed. 



In two specimens from Raleigh, North Carolina (U. S. National Museum 

 Collection), the color pattern is unusually distinct. Nearly all of the 

 specimens from Florida and Georgia are old and the col or pattern is almost 

 entirely obliterated from long innnersion in spirits. 



As a whole, the series presents very little variation excepting in color. 

 The majority of the specimens are large and smooth-skinned, with the 

 color of the under surfaces very distinct. The specimens from North Caro- 

 lina are the most pustular but the minute pustules are confined to the 

 sides and posterior extremities. The Missouri, Alabama and Texas speci- 

 mens are the smoothest-skinned examples in the series. The inner sole 

 tubercle is better developed in the more western examples. 



Engystoma texense Girard. 



This is the prevailing form of Engystoma in central and southern Texas. 

 I have examined authentic specimens from Brownsville (Am. Mus. Nat. 

 Hist. Coll.), Victoria, Refugio, Waco, Laguna and Calvert. The ex- 

 amples from most of these localities were formerly referred by me to E. 

 carolinense, but at the time I had only a few half-grown specimens of that 



