232 



ANURA 



and the hind-limbs are short. The male has a subgvdar vocal 

 sac. 



The most northern species is E. carolinense, living in the 

 Southern United States, concealed under the bark of fallen trees 

 or in old fences. The skin is smooth, but forms a fold across the 

 head, behind the eyes. The general colour is brown, with light, 

 whitish dots on the under parts. Total length 1 inch. 



Breviccps is a South African genus with three species. The 

 coracoids are very strong and directed backwards, but so broadened 

 that they form a long and strong symphysis, touching in front 

 that of the precoracoids, which stand transversely and are well 

 developed. The metasternum is cartilaginous and decidedly small. 

 The sacral vertebra has much dilated diapophyses and is co-ossified 

 with the coccyx. The general appearance is extremely stout and 

 short, the head being almost drawn into the nearly globular body, 

 and ending in a short snout with a small mouth -opening. The 

 tongue is long and oval, not nicked, but slightly free behind. B. 

 7nossamhicus is about 2 inches long, and looks like an overstuffed 

 round bag, out of which the short arms and legs project from the 

 elbows and knee-joints only. The tarsus is provided with a strong 

 horny, spade-like tubercle, which enables the creature to dig into 

 the ground, and into the nests of termites, which seem to be its 

 chief food. Peters found this species in enormous numbers, during 

 the tropical rains, coming out of the ground, whither they with- 

 draw again completely for the dry season. The skin is smooth, 

 reddish brown above, with darker patches ; the under parts are dull 

 white, with a large black patch on the throat. 



Hemisus is another African genus, with two species, H. guttaUtm 

 in Natal, and H. sudanense in East and West Africa. This genus 

 is so exceptional in its shoulder-girdle, that Cope separated it 

 from all the other Anura as a special sub-order Gastrechmia. 

 The precoracoids are extremely strong, and form a broad symphysis 

 from which springs the long cartilaginous omosternum ; the 

 coracoids are slender, very long, and converge backwards to a 

 narrow symphysis, and there is no metasternum. The two 

 symphyses are connected by a narrow cartilaginous median bar, 

 probably produced by the much modified epicoracoid cartilages. 

 However, except for the reverse development shown l)y the omo- 

 and meta-sternum, it is easy to connect this apparently quite 

 anomalous shoulder -girdle of Hemisus with that of Breviceps. 



