20 Records of the Indian Museum. [Vol. XX, 



Tibio-tarsal articulation reaching e3'e or between eye and 

 nostril ; heels overlapping ; tibia if to 2^ times in length of head 

 and body ; metatarsal tubercle j to f length of inner toe. 



Forma tvpica. 



Tibio-tarsal articulation reaching tympanum or eye ; heels not 

 overlapping ; tibia 2\ to 2| times in length of head and body ; meta- 

 tarsal tubercle f to once length of inner toe . . var. crassa, Jerd. 



B. Glandular folds much broken up or absent ; if long, fewer 

 in number ; inner metatarsal tubercle i to | length of 

 inner toe. 



Tibio-tarsal articulation reaching eye or between eye and 

 nostril . . . . . . var. occipitalis, Gthr. 



Tibio-tarsal articulation reaching shoulder, t^^mpanum, or 

 posterior border of eye . . . . var. panther ina, Fitz. 



Var. crassa, Jerd. 

 {R. fodiens, Peters, ceylanica, Peters). 



A stouter, often more toad-like form, with very large, shovel- 

 shaped inner metatarsal tubercle, the length of which is i to li 

 times in the length of the inner toe and 5 to 7 times in the length 

 of the tibia. The tibio-tarsal articulation reaches the tympanum 

 or the eye, the heels do not overlap, and the length of the tibia, 

 which is always less than that of the fore limb, is 2i to 2\ times 

 in that of head and bod}'. 



The web between the toes may be more deeply notched than 

 in the typical form. 



The coloration is the same as in the t5^pical form, but the 

 yellow vertebral streak appears to be more frequently absent. 

 Some specimens have large black spots on the gular region. 



Annandale observes that the colour of living specimens from 

 Madras is much duller than in the typical R. tigrina, a dull brown 

 being substituted for the greens and yellows. 



The differences which separate R. crassa from R. tigrina are 

 closelj^ paralleled by the typical R. esculenta and its var. lessonae, 

 which are connected by a complete gradation, and I feel sure that 

 if a large number of specimens of R. tigrina could be obtained, 

 from Ce3don for instance, exactly the same diflEiculties would arise 

 in defining the var. crassa. Annandale, who believes R. crassa to 

 be entitled to specific rank, mentions that "the behaviour of the 

 living specimens sent to me from Madras differed totally from 

 that of individuals of R. tignna, s.s. The former when placed in 

 a vivarium the bottom of which was covered with sand, burrowed 

 immediately and concealed themselves below the surface. This 

 I have never known R. tigrina to do. Moreover, they did not 

 possess anything like the same power of leaping." * I have since 

 pointed out* that similar fossorial habits have been observed in 



' Rec. hid. Mus. XV, 1918, p. 63. 



2 Ann. and Mag. N.H. (9) II, 1918, p. 255. 



