On a Collection of Batrachians and Reptiles 

 from Formosa and Adjacent Islands. 



By 



Leonhard Stejneger, 

 Curator, Div. of Reptiles and Batrachians, United States National Museum. 



(Communicated by Prof. I. Ijima.) 



No extensive collection of reptiles has been undertaken in 

 Formosa since Kobert Swinhoe's time, nearly 40 years ago. 

 It is therefore with great pleasure that I report upon a small 

 but interesting collection made in 1896 and 1897 by Mr. Tsuna- 

 suke Tada under the auspices of the Science College of the 

 Imperial University, Tokyo, to the authorities of which, espe- 

 cially Prof. I. Ijima, I wish to express my gratitude for the 

 opportunity to do so. 



The herpetological fauna of Formosa, so far as it has been 

 revealed, is surprisingly small, not only in the total number of 

 species but also in indigenous forms peculiar to the island. The 

 collections made, however, cover such a small area and comprise 

 only the larger, more conspicuous forms, so that it is probably 

 unsafe to draw any conclusions as to tlie proportion of really 

 peculiar Formosan species. 



The present collections were made in several places in 

 Formosa proper, viz., Kilung, Taipa and Giilan ; a few species 

 were also obtained in the island of Botel Tobago, off the south 



