62 MK. W. K. PARKER ON THE STRUCTURE AND 



they are toothless — a state of things commonly seen in small types of tooth -bearing* 

 Batrachia. 



My specimen of this kind was equal in size to many other dwarfs in this group of 

 Vertebrata, and the evidence in favour of its maturity greatly outweighs that which 

 seems to tell of immaturity. Taking its skull then as that of an adult, and comparing 

 it with the "norma," I find the following discrepancies, viz. : — 



1. No septomaxillaries. 



2. Fronto-parietals of each side coalesced. 



3. Quadrato-jugal ossifies part of suspensorium. 



4. No teeth on vomers. 



5. No " girdle-bone," even in rudiment. 



6. Inter-stapedial very small. 



7. No supra-stapedial, and extra-stapedial arrested. 



8. Lesser fontanelles absent. 



Skulls of " Ranidce" not comprised in the typiccd "genus." 

 15. (A) Tomoptcriyt hveviccps. — Half-grown female ; length, 1;^ inch. 8. India. 



This and the next kind are both put into the same genus in Gunther's ' Reptiles 

 of British India' (p. 411) ; but more recently the author has put this short-headed, 

 high-faced species into the genus Tomoptema, removing it from Pyxicephahis. 



This is as it should be. The two (this and P. rufescens) difter quite enough to 

 entitle them to be placed in distinct generic groups ; this species comes nearest to the 

 Ranee, the other is a more aberrant form. 



The outline of this skull (Plate 14, figs. 5, 6) is half a short ellip.se, and the width 

 is to the length as 8 to Gf ; the general outline is very regular. A fidl grown 

 individual would have shown a moi-e irregular outline and denser bony centres, 

 but the skull is fairly finislied at this stage ; size and strength, are all that is gained 

 afterwards. 



The occipital condyles (Plate 14, figs. 5, G, oc.c.) are rather wide apart, and project 

 l)ut little. The auditory capsules carry the hind skull out considerably, opposite the 

 quadrate hinge ; and this hinge is opposite the middle of the stapes {q.c, vh.) as in the 

 last. 



The suborbital spaces are very large, and each forms two-thirds of an almost regular 

 circle. The interorbital region of the cranium only lessens very gradually forwards, 

 and it swells out gently in the middle. The cartilaginous roof of the skull is complete 

 up to the orbital region ; there is only the main fontanelle. 



The whole fore skull is extremely like that of the "norma," but the prenasal 

 (fig. 9, p.n.) is a more distinct bud, and the pro-rhinals {}>->'Jt.) are larger hooks; also 

 the outer angles of the subnasal laminai (s.n.l.) are simpler. 



