2o8 REPTILES AND BATRACHIANS 



The Giant Frog, Rana goliath, of Cameroon, the 

 largest of all tailless batrachians, attains a length of nearly 

 a foot. This frog was discovered only quite recently by 

 a former keeper in the London Zoological Gardens, who 

 endeavoured to bring one home alive. The frog was put 

 into an empty ten-gallon spirit drum with water at the 

 bottom, but, unfortunately, on the second night after its 

 capture it succeeded in raising the heavy cover of the drum, 

 a feat requiring enormous strength, and in escaping. A 

 second specimen, however, was procured, and is preserved 

 in the Natural History Museum. 



R. opisthodon, of the Solomon Islands, a species attaining 

 a maximum length of five inches, is remarkable for the 

 fact that its entire metamorphosis is undergone within 

 the Qgg. The eggs, which are perfectly round, are de- 

 posited in the crevices of rocks, close to running water. 

 The following notes were made by Mr. Guppy, their 

 discoverer : " Each of these balls contained a young frog, 

 about four inches in length, apparently fully developed, 

 with very long hind legs, and short fore legs. On my 

 rupturing an egg in which the little animal was doubled 

 up, the tiny frog took a marvellous leap into its existence, 

 and disappeared before I could catch it. On reaching the 

 ship an hour after I found that some of the eggs which I 

 had put in a tin had been ruptured on the way by the 

 jolting, and the liberated frogs were leaping about with 

 great activity. On placing some of them in an open- 

 mouthed bottle, eight inches long, I had to put the cover 

 on, as they kept leaping out." 



R. cyanophyctis^ a thoroughly aquatic frog, inhabiting 

 India, has the curious habit of making leaps over the 



