DEVELOPMENT OP THE SKULL IN THE BATRACHIA. 225 



10. Those (iftlie fore face are thrown quite beneath the snout. 



1 1 . There are no septo-maxillaries. 



With regard to the classification of the lesser Toads, without parotoids, I incline to 

 something intermediate between Dr. Gunther's system (" Bat. Sal.") and Professor 

 Mivart's (Proc. ZooL Soc, 1869, p. 280). 



The latter has put several of Dr. Gijnther's Families together to make up his 

 "Engystomidse" (see p. 289) ; and in the " Batrachia Salientia" the genus Diplopelma 

 is put with Rhinoderma, Atelopus, and Uperodon, to form the " Khinodermatidse." 

 Again, Professor Mivakt (p. 287) puts Pseudophryne and MicrJu/la with J'hryiiiscus, 

 to form his " Phryniscidaj." 



But the skull of Fseudopkri/ne comes much nearer to that of Diplopelma than to 

 that of Phryniscus, and the cranial characters of Engijstoma and Diplopelma are 

 almost the same ; these two genera are very closely related. 



The form of skull just desciibed — Rhinoderma — is very unlike any of them, and I 

 have examined none, as yet, with which it ca,n be put ; it may stand at the head of 

 a Family, with Diplopelma, or the latter might be introduced (by a modification of the 

 language used by Dr. Gunther in his group-characters) among the " Engystomidse." 



I shall, for the present, keep Pseudophryne where that author puts it (" Bat. Sal.," 

 p. 45), viz. : among the " Brachycephalidse ;" unfortunately, I have not worked out 

 the skull either of Brack ycephalus or Hemisus. 



I am doubtful of the propriety of bundling up Callula {Ilyla'dovtylus) with the 

 " Engystomidai." 



But the whole subject bristles with difficulties ; m passing from species to species, 

 in the same genus, some new and unexpected variation is always turning up. 



Second genus. Diplopelma. 



65. Diplopelma or natum, vel ruhrum. — Adult male ; 11 lines long. India. 



Tiiis, like the last, w^as a male ; it was less than an inch in length ; the skull (Plate 

 42, figs. 8 and 9), also, has its length and greatest width equal ; but this skull agrees 

 much more closely with that of Pseudophryne (Plate 42, figs. 1, 2), than that of the 

 different species of the same genus that could be given in many instances. 



Like that of Pseudophryne this is a veiy arrested skull, and shows some curious 

 analyses of the Batrachian cranial elements. On the whole, the o.ssification is about 

 equal in both ; but, notwithstanding their close kmship, these two small Toads have 

 several instructive cranial differences. 



The hind skull is less massive, and is altogether proportionately less (figs. 8, 9 ; 

 and 1, 2) ; and as the quadrate condyles reach nearly to the stapes, the facial outline 

 is longer, and becomes arcuate in its hinder third ; two-tliirds of it are very straight, 

 and the rather broad snout ])rojccts more in the niiddle, ibr the prenasal rostrum 



MDCCCLXXXI 2 U 



