226 bufonid^:. 



upper surface ; the distance between them about twice 

 as great as the distance between the nostrils, and 

 equal to or somewhat less than the width of the mouth. 

 Spiraculum on the left side, directed backwards, 

 nearly equidistant from either extremity of the body, 

 not very prominent, but visible from above and from 

 below. Anus median Tail three or four times as 

 long as deep, broadly rounded at the end ; both crests 

 nearly equal in depth, with nearly straight and 

 parallel edges; the depth of the muscular part of the 

 tail, at its base, two-fifths the greatest total depth. 



Beak white, broadly edged witli black. Lips with 

 papillee only at the sides, which form an inward fold ; 

 both upper and lower edges toothed, the series of 

 labial teeth being § ; the second upper series nearly 

 as long as the first, and very narrowly interrupted 

 in the middle ; the three lower series uninterrupted, 

 and occupying nearly the whole width of the lip. 



Lines of muciferous crypts not or scarcely traceable. 

 Blackish-brown or black above, blackish-grey beneath, 

 muscular part of tail dark brown or blackish ; crests 

 grey, finely speckled, as if powdered with black. 



The tadpole of this, the largest European Batra- 

 chian, is very small. The largest specimen measured 

 by me is 32 mm. long; body, 12 ; width of body, 8 ; 

 length of tail, 20 ; depth of tail, 5. 



Habitat. — The common toad inhabits nearly the 

 whole of Europe, northwards to 65° lat. ; it is, 

 however, absent from some of the larger islands — 

 Ireland, Corsica, Sardinia, and the Baleares. It 

 ascends to an altitude of 7000 feet in the Alps. In 

 North-west Africa it is on record from Larache in 

 Morocco, and Tlemsen, Algiers, and Bona in Algeria. 

 It extends across northern and temperate Asia to 

 Manchuria, Japan, China, and Thibet up to 10,000 

 feet. The altitude of 17,000 feet previously recorded 

 by me is based on an error ; the specimen collected 

 by Mr. Pratt in the province of Sze Chuen, China, 

 came from an altitude of only 1700 feet. 



