bufo. 243 



p. 70, Mr. W. H. Warner reports having seen, on 

 Nov. 8th, near Abingdon, Berks, in the pools of a 

 deep quarry frequented by the natterjacks, tadpoles in 

 a half- torpid state, some with and some without legs. 

 These tadpoles were no doubt remains of an exception- 

 ally late brood, and very likely did not transform 

 until the following spring. Males are much more 

 abundant than females. 



When molested, Bufo calamita emits a very strong 

 and unpleasant odour, produced by the secretion from 

 the dermal glands, to which it owes the denominations 

 of fcetidissimus and mephiticus recorded in the syno- 

 nymy. It is difficult to convey an exact idea of this 

 smell: boiled india-rubber is perhaps a better compari- 

 son than that of Rosel — te something between ignited 

 gunpowder and a Dutch clay pipe smoked for the first 

 time;" there is certainly nothing sulphury about it, 

 in spite of a statement of Lord Clermont's. 



Eggs. — Small, black, with a small grey or whitish 

 lower pole, measuring about 1^ millimetres in dia- 

 meter, in two mucilaginous strings 3 or 4 millimetres 

 in diameter, which are shorter than in B. vulgaris. 



Fig. 90. 



^-^•.a a:« a •?• 



§ • v. • • a « y^*®i^*iiii*Mi» •• 



These strings measure only 5 or 6 feet, when un- 

 stretched 5 and contain 3000 to 4000 eggs, which are in 

 two files, in one when stretched. The evolution is 

 rapid ; the embryo is liberated after three to five days, 

 and produces a few days later its rudimentary, 

 unbranched external gills, which do not last much 

 more than a day. Heron-Royer has described the 

 changes in their disposition which the eggs undergo 

 during development. At first in two files they become 

 displaced as they enlarge, and form a single row ; the 



