322 American Amphibia. 
wide central interruption. The Sal. Zwrida, has an uninterrupted 
transverse palatine row forming an obtuse angle directed forward. 
The Sal. subviolacea, Bart., corresponds with the last in having 
but a transverse row, but may easily be distinguished by this row 
being undulating with a slight central angle. The palatine teeth 
in all are curved backward and very acute. It will be perceived 
that these nine species may be divided somewhat into three groups, 
founded upon the possession of longitudinal or transverse teeth 
only, or both combined. In nearly all, the general structure of 
the tongue is similar to that of the Ranae, but is more closely 
bound down; the sides and the posterior extremity which is quite 
short and rounded, are free but not capable of being projected 
from the mouth as in the Ranae. 
In the Sal. lurida and subviolacea, it is almost perfectly bound 
down all its length. I would here remark that the expression, 
“tongue not attached at the bottom of the gullet but to the edges 
of the jaw,” found in the works of the most eminent authors, 
when applied to the Ranae, conveys an erroneous idea. _I believe 
in all the species of the restricted genus Rana, the tongue is com- 
posed of two muscles a hyo-glossus and genio-glossus, the former 
attached to the horns of the hyoid cartilage, the other to the an- 
gle of the lower jaw. Such is the structure in all the species 
of Rana, Bufo and Salamandra I have examined. In the male 
Bufo Americanus, Le Conte, as well as in the Hylae, there isa 
sac beneath the tongue opening by an orifice on each side of 
it; a fact not mentioned in any of the books to which I have had 
access. In the works of some of our American Herpetologists, 
the fact of the existence of the external branchiae in the early 
period of the development of the young tadpole, appears to be 
doubted. I possess many specimens illustrative of this fact, a8 
well as the development of the anterior extremities of the tadpole 
of the Ranae, previous to their protrusion. 
The following appear to be nondescript species: 
Sal. agilis, Nob. Palatine teeth an oblong patch, composed of 
several rows so arranged as to form very acute angles pointing for- 
ward ; curved backward ; length 23 in.; head 4 in.; tail 13 in. 
fore legs fin.; hind legs $ in.; head oval, flattish ; snout obtuse ; 
nostrils lateral, small, round ; eyes prominent ; body and tail round, 
the last terete, pointed ; toes minute, four anterior, five posterior 
Color of the head, back and tail above testaceous or lateritiouss 
