BY J, J. FLETCHER. 



377 



P. australis is a lively perky little frog, very partial to damp 

 shelves and cracks in the Hawkesbury sandstones ; and breeds 

 earlier — three times I have found ova, in November, January, 

 and this year as late as May 11th, but early in September I once 

 saw a pair in coitic, though I do not know that spawn was 

 deposited. P. hibronii on the other hand is much less active, 

 usually makes little or no effort to escape when uncovered in its 

 hiding place, " shams dead " when placed on its back, and falls to 

 the bottom like a stone when thrown into water ; I have never 

 found it except on the ground under stones, logs &c. ; I have 

 found the ova every year for seven consecutive years, once in 

 April only, thrice in May only, once in June only, and twice in 

 both April and June. 



The two species agree in regard to their oviposition and general 

 development. The ova are laid after rain in depressions or 

 cavities, preferably under stones, but when these are wanting 

 under pieces of old tin, under debris brought down by the water, 

 or in a tussock of grass or reeds, near the margins of ponds or 

 creeks. That they have been deposited where one finds them is 

 obvious from the circumstances under which they occur. To 

 satisfy myself that the ova could be fertilised without being placed 

 in water I collected at different times males and females of both 

 species. In two instances on reaching home at least one couple 

 were m cojjula^ the embrace being inguinal ; these subsequently 

 spawned on a damp rag placed at the bottom of a dish, the ova 

 as shown by their subsequent development being duly fertilised. 

 Several hundred ova may sometimes be found in the same little 

 cavity, but these have been deposited by several females. In 

 the two instances above-mentioned each frog laid about ninety 

 ova ; and these were disposed in short rows or in masses of a 

 dozen or more, at some distance apart, showing that the frogs had 

 moved some distance every now and then and probably slightly 

 after the deposition of each ovum. The ova would seem to be 

 fertilised singly. If the surroundings are moist the ova, (in- 

 cluding the gelatinous envelope,) are about as big as peas, 



