TAILLESS BATRACHIANS 221 



The Common Toad is by a long way the most intelligent 

 of all batrachians, learning in a very short time to recognize 

 its master. It lives a long time in captivity, provided that 

 several specimens are not kept together, as, v\^hen they con- 

 gregate in numbers, they are liable to become infested all 

 over with large sores, these ultimately causing their death. 

 The average English toad seldom measures more than 

 three inches in length ; in Jersey and Southern Europe, 

 however, it grows to a very large size, often attaining a 

 length of five inches. 



The Green Toad, B. viridis, is very variable in colour ; 

 it may be greyish, greenish, yellowish, or pinkish above, 

 with large irregular-shaped blotches, varying in colour 

 from bright green to dark olive, and which are often 

 margined with black ; a fine yellow vertebral line is some- 

 times present. The head is moderately large, with a 

 blunt snout ; the tympanum is distinct. The hind limb 

 varies much in length, and may be moderately elongate 

 or very short ; the digits are short, the toes half webbed 

 or two-thirds webbed ; a distinct fold runs along the 

 inner side of the extreme end of the hind limbs. The 

 back is covered with warts of various sizes, and the parotoid 

 glands are prominent and very variable in shape. 



This species, which attains a maximum length of about 

 four inches, is widely distributed throughout Central and 

 Southern Europe, but is absent from Western Europe ; 

 it is also found in various islands of the Mediterranean, in 

 North Africa from Morocco to Lower Egypt, and in South- 

 western and Central Asia as far east as the Himalayas. 

 In Europe it reaches an altitude of 6,500 feet, while in 

 the Himalayas it has been observed at 15,000 feet, the 

 highest point from which a batrachian has been recorded. 



