BY J. J. FLETCHER. 235 



undivided, narrowing posteriorly ; Keferstein, however, figures 

 it as broadening posteriorly and notched slightly ; Philocryphics 

 has it more widely and deeply notched than in Keferstein's figure, 

 quite a bay in fact (in one specimen 5 mm. broad and about as 

 deep), with narrow xyphisternal horns. 



Being unable to carry the ova on the occasion of finding the 

 frog, T went again on the first opportunity a week later, in the 

 hope also of getting the female. The spawn outside the hole had 

 failed to develop, but inside, which was partly below the level of 

 the water, was a considerable mass in good condition. 



The ova like those of Pseudoph7y7ie are unusually large, and 

 the embryo has a large yolk sac ; the ova are not however laid as 

 by that species in damp places out of the water, but in large 

 white frothy masses like the spawn of Limnody7iastes dor sails or 

 Hyla aurea, but with the noticeable diflferer.ce in the size of the 

 individual ova. Unlike the embryos of Pseudophryne those of 

 Philocryphus acquire large external gills before hatching, and they 

 are ready for hatching in a shorter time (about a fortnight); from 

 oV)servati(jns upon these I feel satisfied as to the correctness of my 

 formerly expressed opinion that Pseudophryne embryos do not 

 acquire functional external gills. It will be interesting to know 

 how far Heleioporus and Chiroleptes — concerning whose life-history 

 nothing is known at present — share in this interesting peculiarity, 

 as at present I know of no other Cystignathoid frog with spawn 

 of this character. 



The habit of distending itself, sometimes spontaneously, always 

 when tickled or scratched on the back, is very marked in this 

 S))ecies. Limnodynastes dorsalis, Chiroleptes platycephalus, and 

 Notaden beimettii likewise have it, and they are all burrow^ers. 

 Secondarily it may be of some protective value as a deterrent to 

 their enemies ; but it is possibly of prime importance in their 

 burrowing operations. Several times when keeping these frogs in 

 a vivarium with several inches of loose earth on the bottom they 

 entirely disappeared, leaving the surface so level and apparently 

 undisturbed that without actually unearthing them their exact 

 whereabouts was not evident. 



