12 GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF AUSTRALIAN BATRACHIA, 



all from the coastal division, are not represented in my collections, 

 but as a set-ofF to this two species \Hyla gracilenta and Phanerotis] 

 have been added to the coastal fauna, and one [H. rubella] to the 

 inland fauna. Of the thirty species met with, twenty-five belong 

 to the coastal division, and eighteen* (not including Limnodynastes 

 Jletcheri, for reasons given below) to the inland division, fourteen 

 species being common to both. The fauna of the coastal division, 

 the conditions being very favourable, is rich for the relatively small 

 area, and is tolerably well known, not many new species in all 

 probability remaining to be discovei'ed : its members may be 

 roughly divided into four groups : (1) the species frequenting the 

 semi-ti'opical brushes of our northern river districts, or the seques- 

 tered gullies of the Blue Mts., or the Illawarra Range, such as 

 Ilixophyes, Phanerotis, Cryj)totis, Limnodynastes peronii, Hyla 

 gracilenta, H. phyllochroa, and H. lesueurii : (2) the swamp and 

 river frogs, such as most of the species of Lini7iodynastes, Crinia 

 signifera, and Hyla aurea : (3) the largely terrestrial tree-frogs 

 which at least have recourse to water for breeding purposes, such 

 as H. ewingii, H. ccerulea, H. dentata, and H. peronii : and (4) 

 the terrestrial batrachians par excellence, mostly toads, frequenting 

 damp places, but avoiding water, such as the species of Pseudo- 

 phryne, and probably also Hyperolia marmorata. 



The restriction of some species to the coastal division is explicable 

 on the ground there only are to be found the natural conditions 

 under which they flourish ; on the other hand we find some species 

 inhabiting both regions under conditions of humidity, kc, and 

 amid surroundings widely different. 



One of the most marked differences between the coastal and 

 inland faunas arises from the absence from the latter of the brush 

 and gully-haunting frogs ; the balance is made up of three elements : 

 (1) cosmopolitan species, (2) several peculiar species, of which two 

 \Notaden and GhirolejJtes platycephalus] seem to be characteristic 

 of the plain country, for neither of them has occurred in collections 



* Excluding also Pseudophryne coriacea, Waroo being just a little north 

 of the northern border of N.S.W. 



