BY J. J. FLETCHER. 371 



ing ; but besides H. aurea, one may see H. freycineti^ H. lato- 

 palmata, H. phyllochroa, H. lesueurii, H. citropus, and Mixophyes 

 fasciolatus abroad by day, and H. ccerulea frequently comes into 

 verandahs and even indoors in the summer evenings : while as for 

 hearing the frogs, in the evenings in October and later after rain in 

 the western suburbs of Sydney wherever there are paddocks and 

 waterholes, one may hear the croaking of individuals belonging to 

 at least half-a-dozen species in the course of as many minutes ; 

 indeed the frogs of some species may be heard at any time of year 

 in moist weather. L. dorsalis is rarely seen probably owing to its 

 habit of burrowing which I believe Professor McCoy was the first 

 to point out ; but L. tasmaniensis and L. peronii are so commonly 

 to be found sheltering under logs and stones that, except durino- 

 periods of aestivation, one may doubt whether in this locality they 

 habitually burrow. With regard to the statement that the true 

 Hylas inhabit the lofty gum-trees — a similar supposition in regard 

 to H. citropus in the summer being made by Mr. Krefft — one may 

 remark that no evidence in favour of it is adduced in either case ; 

 indeed direct evidence would be very difficult to obtain. The most 

 arboreal of the Hylidse in this neighbourhood may be found on the 

 ground during the cold months, and during the summer they come 

 to the ground to breed, as they doubtless do also to testivate. It is 

 quite true that Hylas may often be found sheltering under the loose 

 bark on the trunks of trees, but there is no other evidence forth- 

 coming at present of the frogs in this neighbourhood habitually 

 inhabiting lofty trees unless it be that some of them are not so 

 frequently met with during part of the year. Professor Cope 

 remarks of our Hylidse " that in the latter country (Australia) 

 with its usual perverseness they are terrestrial in their habits. ""^ 

 I think it would not be an altogether unreasonable supposition 

 that the addiction to terrestrial habits, which more particularlv 

 characterises the species formerly included in Litoria — now along 

 with Peloclryas merged in Hyla by Boulenger — is to be explained 

 as in part due to the frequently arising necessity of finding more 



Nat. Hist. Rev. 1865, p. 109. 



