2-^4 Ixecuyds o/ /lie Indian Museum. \\o\.. Ill, 



Comparing Mr. Boulenoer's cle.scri]itions of the two s])ecies, the 

 following differences appear : — 



(1) B. andersonii has a tarsal fold ; B. stonuUicKS has not. 



(2) In B. anderso}iii the tyni])anuin is round : in B. stoinaficiis 



vertically oval. 



(3) In B. andersonii the first finger extends as far as or slightly 



further than the second ; in B. sf.nmaticns the first finger 

 is longer than the second. 



(4) In B. andeysonii the toes are two-thirds or lialf webbed ; 



in B. sioniaticus three-quarters. 



Mr. Boulenger regards the first of these differences as the most 

 important, and it is the only one that has made me hesitate in unit- 

 ing the two species. I have recentU' found, however, that it is one 

 easily produced by the method of preservation. In living specimens 

 from Calcutta, or in specimens preserved in weak spirit or in for- 

 malin, there is no fold ; while specimens in which the fold was absent 

 during life develop a fold if preserved in strong spirit, owing to 

 shrinkage of the soft tissues. Such examples are often indistinguish 

 able from specimens from North-Western India. As regards the 

 proportionate length of the fingers, the shape of the tympanum and 

 the degree to which the toes are webbed, considerable variation 

 exists even among individuals taken together in the same place, nor 

 can any one condition as regards any of these points be correlated 

 with any one locality, for the characters are as variable in indivi- 

 duals from Calcutta as they are in those from Lucknow, x\llahabad 

 or Simla. In some individuals the dorsal surface is olive green ; 

 more frequently it is grey. The ventral surface is occasionally 

 splotched with black. I see no reason, therefore, to separate the 

 two .species; and as B. stoniaticus was described in 1862, the name 

 has priority over that of B. andersonii , which was described in 

 1883. 



B. sioniaticus is common in Calcutta, although owdng to its 

 strictly nocturnal habits it is rarely seen ; for unlike B. nielanosHctus , 

 which comes out in large numbers at dusk or even during the day- 

 time in wet weather, it remains concealed until night has fallen. 

 Large numbers may be found during the rains huddled together in 

 the many crevices afforded by the tree-trunks of the Peepuls {Fictts 

 religiosa) on the maidan. They make their way up these crevices 

 to the height of five or six feet from the ground. 



3. A SMALIv COLLECTION FROM TkAVANCORIC AND COCHIN. — 



The majority of the specimens here recorded were obtained in 

 November, 1908, at or near the base of the Western Ghats in 

 the State of Travancore. A few, however, were taken at Erna- 

 kulam in the neighbouring State of Cochin. 



Rana hexadaciyla. 



A very common species in the plains of Travancore. Two 

 colour varieties can be distinguished : — 



