AMPHIBIANS. 



Cold-blooded vertebrates, which breathe water by means of gills 

 in the early part of their life, and then change to air-breathers. 

 The skeleton is on the same type as that of the reptiles, but there 

 are no ribs, or only very small ones. Fins, if present, have no 

 iin-rays. 



Order ECzVudata. 

 In the perfect state, four limbs and no tail. 



Family Discoglossidae. 

 Upper jaw with teeth ; the vertebra? with short ribs. 



Genus Liopelma. 



Tongue, circular, entire, free behind. Pupil triangular. No 

 tympanic disc. Fingers free. Toes weighed ; the tips not dilated. 

 New Zealand only. 



The New Zealand Frog. 

 Liopelma liochstetteri. 



Upper surface with small smooth tubercles; lower surface smooth. 

 Brown; limbs and lower surface lighter. Head and back indistinctly 

 spotted with blackish. Limbs regularly cross-barred with blackish. INIale 

 without vocal sac. 



The New Zealand frog has been found in the Coromandel 

 Peninsula ; at Huia, on the north side of the Manukau Harbour ; 

 and at Opotiki. In the early days of mining at the Thames, 

 several were caught in the drives, where they had wandered 



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