230 BUFONID^l. 



Back covered with more or less prominent, some- 

 times spinous, distinctly porous warts of various sizes ; 

 those at the angles of the mouth much developed ; a 

 series of large prominent warts usually extends along 

 each side of the body. Lower parts granulate. 

 Parotoid glands very variable in sha.pe ; usually par- 

 allel or converging backwards, more or less pear- or 

 kidney- shaped, the greatest width in front about 

 twice as long as broad, and nearly as long as their 

 distance from the end of the snout ; sometimes, espe- 

 cially in Asiatic specimens, shortly oval, or enor- 

 mously large, much longer than the head, and once 

 and a half to twice as long as broad. The parotoids 

 always depressed, and anteriorly in contact with or 

 very narrowly separated from the upper eyelids. 

 Upper surface of forearm and tibia more or less 

 glandular, sometimes, especially in some Algerian and 

 Central Asian specimens, with a parotoid-like gland as 

 in B. calamita. 



Coloration very variable. Greyish, greenish, yel- 

 lowish, brownish, pinkish, or whitish above, usually 

 with large, irregular, insuliform, distinct or confluent 

 spots, varying from bright green to dark olive, and 

 often margined with black ; these markings some- 

 times interrupted on the vertebral area, or forming 

 wavy longitudinal bands ; a fine yellow vertebral line 

 sometimes present ; the larger warts at the angles of 

 the mouth, on the sides of the body, and sometimes 

 also on the back, brick-red or crimson. Lower parts 

 dirty white, uniform, or with more or less abundant 

 blackish or olive spots. Tips of fingers and toes and 

 metatarsal tubercles usually brown. Iris greenish- 

 yellow, veined or vermiculated with black. 



It is a remarkable fact that the occasional presence 

 in this species of a yellow vertebral line, such as is 

 usually present in, and has been regarded as a specific 

 character of, B. calamita, has never been observed in 

 Germany and Denmark, where the allied species co- 

 exists, whilst it is by no means uncommon in Italy, in 



