Makrinek. — Australia)! Frog in New Zealand. 147 



•came they all disappeared. However, in aquarium B, when- 

 ever warm weather prevailed a solitary tadpole would appear 

 from time to time, but in the coldest part of the winter no tad- 

 poles were visible. It seems to me that when tadpoles remain 

 as tadpoles all the winter, they must either bury themselves in 

 the mud or else hide away among the water-weeds at the bottom 

 of the aquarium, for I could never see any sign of them during 

 the cold Aveather. 



In the spring two tadpoles appeared in tank B, and only 

 one in tank A, though no doubt several crayfish, which were 

 living in the same aquarium, were partly responsible for the 

 smalbiess of the number of survivors in the latter. Though the 

 aquariums had plenty of water-weeds and submerged rocks, 

 there was no place where the tadpoles could find a shallow 

 landing-place where they would need their limbs for crawling, 

 and the result has been that neither the lungs nor the limbs 

 have been developed. 



In autumn they would often come to the surface and take in 

 large mouthfuls of air, as most tadpoles do, but since the winter 

 they seem to have no inclination to come to the surface, but act 

 to all intents and purposes similar to fish. 



It has been stated that not only will tadpoles keep as tad- 

 poles w^hen reared under such conditions, but that they will 

 increase in size in proportion to the size of the tank in which 

 they are kept. Though three specimens are not sufficient to 

 prove anything, yet the tadpoles in my aquariums do seem to 

 uphold this fact. All of them were about 17 mm. in length 

 when put into the tanks, and now the two in the tank holding 

 2^ cubic feet of water are only 25 mm. and 30 mm. respectively, 

 while the one in the tank holding 4 cubic feet of water is now 

 45 mm. in length. 



Distribution. 



It seems almost certain that these frogs first made their 

 appearance at Greymouth, whence they have extended inland 

 and south. 



From Greymouth they have spread either naturally or arti- 

 ficially up the Grey River for at least twenty- four miles to 

 Ahaura, and very likely further, but so far all the places where 

 T have found them to be present are on the south bank of the 

 river, and none on the north, though it is not at all unlikely 

 that they are on the opposite bank also. 



At Brunnerton, eight miles from Greymouth along the river, 

 they are plentiful, and seem to be increasing. No other kinds 

 of frogs are said to be found there. 



At Stillwater, nine miles from Greymouth and a mile past 



