102 THE NATURAL HISTORY REVIEW. 



nubrium. Eronto-parietals ossified on their superciliary borders 

 only, thus enclosing a large fontanelle. Sacral diapophyses dilated. 

 Ear perfectly developed. Tongue free, not retractile posteriorly. 



ChelydohatracJius in Australia, and JBreviceps and JBrachymerus in 

 South Africa, are the only genera of this family. The double carti- 

 lages of the sternum of the first foreshadow the arches of the 

 Bufonidce, and its prefrontal bones are in contact throughout, being 

 developed as in that family and in the JEngystomidcd. In Breviceps 

 gibhosus the prefrontals are transverse, in contact medially, often 

 only fibro-cartilaginous. There are true nasal bones lelow the 

 external nares. There are but eight vertebrse, the atlas and first 

 being confluent ; and the coccyx is confluent with the sacrum. In 

 J5. mossamhicus the prefrontals are separated. The terminal seg- 

 ment of each ramus mandibuli has an expanded cartilaginous border 

 inferiorly, in this as well as the nest genus ; it exists in a less degree 

 in Diplopelma. In Brachymerus the prefroutals are very narrow and 

 widely separated from each other ; the terminal phalanges have a 

 distal transverse limb for supporting a palette, as in Calohyla. In 

 the three genera the epicoracoid exists. The xiphisternnm in Bre- 

 viceps is a short, broad, deeply emarginate, cartilaginous disc : in 

 Chelydobatrachus it is not emarginate, and is attached by a broad 

 bony pedicel. 



BUFONID^. 



Epicoracoidei divergent from coracoidei ; the latter dilated, nearly 

 or quite in contact, each connected with the former on the same side 

 by a cartilaginous arch, of which that on the right (the animal being 

 on its back) overlaps with its convexity the left coracoid, and that of 

 the left coracoid nnderlaps that on the right. Superior plate of the 

 ethmoid completely ossified, vary rarely prolonged anteriorly, usually 

 covered by the completely ossified fronto-parietals, or by these and 

 the prefrontals together. No pterygoideum. Sacral diapophyses 

 dilated ; coccyx attached to two condyles. Tongue free, not retractile 

 posteriorly. 



This family embraces the genera JPseudophryne, JPTirijniscuSy 

 Epidalea,* Bufo, InciUus,f Sclerophrys, Beltaphryne, Bhceho,X Balu- 

 dicola, ScMsmaderma, Otilophus, Bhrynoidis, Nectes. 



* Called O. dentale by Duges. 



t Vi(^e Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phil. 1863, p. 49. 



X Having seen the type-specimens of Rhcsho leschenmiUii and R. guttatus, I in- 

 cline to consider them different species. They have been supposed identical by 

 Prof. Peters, I. c. 



