382 OVIPOSITION AND HABITS OF CERTAIN BATRACHIANS, 



■daytime) find at least one specimen asleep — when tliey are nearly 



white from about October to April. Early in December hearing 



a number crocking in the neighbourhood of a pond, and guided by 

 the croaking I caught a male in a post-hole, with a brown rugosity 

 on the first finger of each hand ; judging from the croaking the 

 others appeared to be on the ground but hidden under the banks, 

 and I suspect they were preparing to spawn, and that they do so 

 in the ordinary way. A large tadpole with well-developed hind 

 legs is 61 mm. long of which the body is 21 mm. 



1 3. Hyla phyllociiroa, Gthr. 



This species is common in shady gullies. During the summer 

 months a few of these frogs may generally be found in Mr. 

 Macleay's bush-house, in the day-time asleep on the plants. On 

 four different occasions, in December(twice), January, and February 

 I have seen a pair in coitu in the water-cask used by the gardener 

 in the bush-house. They can only spawn comfortably when the 

 casks are quite full ; the female then sits on the bevelled edge of 

 the cask looking outwards with, the hind-quarters in the water. 

 The pigmented pole of the ova and the young tadpoles themselves 

 are rather pale yellow, and this will help to distinguish them from 

 the darker yellow prevailing in H. eivingii var. calliscelis. In the 

 same three months of the following year spawn was again found on 

 three occasions, but I did not happen to find the frogs. Under 

 more natural conditions the spawn is attached to blades of grass, 

 twigs, &c. (as Mr. Hamilton has informed me) ; and they also 

 spawn earlier than the above dates, as in October last in a gully 

 near Kiama in the day-time my attention was attracted by croaking, 

 and on going to see I found a number of these frogs having a sort 

 of field day at the opening of the breeding season just as I have 

 noticed several times in the case of H. aurea ; a number of the 

 frogs were in the water, and very active, the males ci-oaking 

 vigorously and every now and then making a grasp at the females. 

 JSTo spawn was visible, but I was unable to visit the spot again. 



