ECAUDATA. 433 



The body is short, the dorsal vertebral column consisting of but 

 eiglit praesacral vertebrae (exceptionally' seven, through fusion), 

 and the coccygeal vertebrae are confluent into a single styloid bone. 

 The young usually pass through lengthy metamorphoses, the 

 earlier stages of which are known as "tadpoles." In the tadpole, 

 or fish-like form, the head and body are globular, with external or 

 internal gills, limbs are absent and a tail is present ; the hind and 

 fore limbs appear successively and the tail is gradually absorbed, 

 after which last transformation the young leaves the water. 



The ova of Batrachia are usually, like those of fish, small, very 

 numerous, enveloped in mucilage, and deposited in the -water. But 

 there are many exceptions, especially among the arboreal forms, 

 some of which have large eggs with large vitellijie mass, in which 

 the young pass rapidly through part or all of the metamorphoses. 

 Unfortunately, hardly anything is known of the development of the 

 Indian species. 



About 960 species of Tailless Batrachians are known, being found 

 all over the world wherever insect-food is procurable ; they are 

 luost abundant in the tropics, and India and its dependencies alone 

 furnish a hst of 124 species. 



This Order is divided into two Suborders : — 



I. PHANEROGLOSSA, with a tongue and separate inner 

 ear-openings. 



II. AG LOSS A, without tongue and with a single median 

 opening to the Eustachiau tubes. 



The latter Suborder comprises the African Xenopns and the 

 South-American Pipa. The Indian Batrachians fall into the 

 following groups of the Suborder PhanerogJossa : — 



Series A. FIEMISTEENIA. 



Coracoids firmly united by a simple epicoracoid cartilage ; prae- 

 coracoids, if present, each resting with its distal extremity upon the 

 coracoid, or connected with the latter by the epicoracoid cartilage 

 (see fig. 127, p. 434). 



Upper jaw toothed; diapophyses of sacral verte- 

 bra cylindrical or very slightly dilated. Fam. 1. Ranidae, p. 4o5. 

 Jaws toothless ; diapophyses of sacral vertebra [p. 489. 



dilated Fam. 2. Engystomatidae, 



Upper jaw toothed ; diapophyses of sacral verte- 

 bra dilated Fam. 3. Dyscophidae, 



[p. 498. 

 Series B. AECIFEEA. 



Coracoids and picccoracoids connected by an arched cartilage 

 (the epicoracoid), that of the one side overlapping that of the other 

 (see fig. 138, p. 499). 



Jaws toothless ; diapophyses of sacral vertebra 



dilated Fam. 4. Bufonidae, p. 490. 



Upper jaw toothed ; diapophyses of sacral vertebra 



dilated; distal phalaug-es claw-shaped. Fam. o. Hylidae, p. 509. 



Upper jaw toothed ; diapophyses of sacral ver- 

 tebra strongly dilated Fam. 6. Pelobatidae, p. olO. 



2f 



