DISCOGLOSSUS. 



135 



Measurements op Skeleton (in millimetres). 



Length of skull 



Width of skull 



Least interorbital width 



Dorsal vertebral column 



Urostyle 



Humerus 



Radius-ulna 



Manus 



Pelvis 



Femur 



Tibia 



Tarsus 



20 

 24 

 4 

 18 

 19 

 17 

 11 

 17 

 27 

 26 

 31 

 17 



? 

 15 

 17 



3 

 17 

 19 

 12 



8 

 11 

 23 

 21 

 24 

 13 



Pes .... 25 ... 21 



Habits. — Discoglossus pictus resembles the true 

 frogs in the quickness of its movements. It is 

 active by day as well as by night, and usually found 

 in or about water, objecting neither to brackish pools 

 nor to cold running mountain streams. Like its 

 relative Bombinator, and unlike all other European 

 Ecaudates, it is able to seize its prey under water, in 

 the same manner as newts do, and is therefore easily 

 fed in confinement with earthworms dropped into 

 the tank with which the terrarium must be provided. 

 Although particularly shy when handled, it does well 

 in captivity, and will usually take food immediately on 

 arriving after a long journey in a small box. When 

 seized it becomes covered with a slimy secretion, 

 which renders it very difficult to handle, but which 

 has no special odour nor any irritating action on our 

 mucous membranes, so far as I can judge from experi- 

 ments upon myself. Like Lataste, who was the first 

 to study the habits in captivity, and who later had 

 the good fortune to observe this Batrachian in a wild 

 state in Algeria, I have never heard the rutting male 

 produce more than a feeble note, sounding to my ear 

 as ha-a, ha-a-a, or wa, wa, wa-iva-wa, issued in rapid 

 succession, although specimens have repeatedly paired 

 and bred in my terrarium. But according to Heron- 

 Royer, specimens under his observation uttered at 

 night a constantly repeated ra-a, ra-a, loud enough 

 to disturb him when produced in a yard outside his 



