PELOBATES. 209 



in summer, may bo well rendered by a guttural co, 

 co, co, co, co ; its nuptial call is said to be the same. 



Eggs. — According to Heron-Rover, they differ but 

 slightly from those of P. fuscus ; the mucilaginous 

 band is a little narrower and flatter, thus much re- 

 sembling that of Pelodijtes punctatus. 



Tadpole (PL II, fig. 2). — The differences from P. 

 fuscus are but slight, and most of those that have 

 hitherto been relied upon prove not to be absolutely 

 constant. Thus the nostrils, as I now find from 

 Portuguese specimens received from Dr. de Bedriaga 

 since the publication of my ' Synopsis of the Tadpoles,' 

 may be as wide apart as in P. fuscus. The series of 

 labial teeth are more broken up, and their arrange- 

 ment is therefore less easily expressed by a formula. 

 The tail is shorter, not more than once and a half the 

 length of the body. The lines of crypts are usually 

 more distinct, owing to the black colour of the tubules 

 and the lighter colour of the body. Their disposition 

 is well shown in the example figured. The following 

 description is taken from five specimens obtained by 

 M. Lataste near Bordeaux : 



Length of body once and two-thirds to once and 

 three-fourths its width, once and oue-fourth to once 

 and two-fifths in the length of the tail. Nostrils half- 

 way between the eyes and the end of the snout, or a 

 little nearer the latter. Eyes on the upper surface, a 

 little nearer the spiraculum than the end of the snout, 

 the distance between them nearly twice as great as 

 that between the nostrils, which equals the width of 

 the mouth. Spiraculum equidistant from either ex- 

 tremity of the body. Tail once and two-thirds to 

 once and five-sixths as long as deep, pointed, the 

 muscular portion not half the total depth. 



Specimens preserved in spirit, of which I have a 

 good number before me at the present moment, are 

 pale greyish or brownish above and on the sides, the 

 belly dirty white with round white spots. Muscular 

 part of tail pale reddish-brown, with some darker 



o 



