Mr. G. A. Boulenger on Rana temporaria. 249 



agilis, or Coronella austriaca and C. girondica^ or Vipera 

 bents, V. asjJis, and V. anunodi/tesy or Bufo calamita and B. 

 viridis, all closely allied species, which are, I believe, ad- 

 mitted as such bj M. de Betta, but which might just as well 

 be united, being connected by intermediate forms, and not 

 one of their characters, taken by itself, being absolutely 

 constant. 



With one exception, M. de Betta's arguments are too vague 

 to be refuted. The one point on which he is quite precise 

 is the statement that all male Banre temporarice have vocal 

 sacs, and that therefore no distinctive characters are to be 

 found in the presence or absence of these organs. I have 

 examined a great number of males of R. agilis, E. Latasiii, 

 and R. iberica *, and I can affirm that internal openings 

 to vocal sacs are constantly absent in those three species, 

 whilst they are readily distinguished in 7?. temporaria 

 and R. arvalis f. This is certainly a most important distinc- 

 tive character. I therefore expressed my surprise to M, de 

 Betta, and requested him to send me a specimen of R. agilis 

 or R. Latastii showing the vocal sacs. His answer has been 

 that his statement was not based upon direct investigation, 

 but chiefly taken from Thomas's and Fatio's publications, in 

 which all land-frogs are said to be provided with internal 

 vocal sacs. 



M. de Betta's pamphlet is chiefly a review of the literature 

 on the group of Ranee temporarice, in which he contrasts the 

 opinions hitherto expressed in favour of or against their 

 specific distinctness. However, this review is very incom- 

 plete, and I regret to see that the author ignores the contribu- 

 tions of Leydig, Pfliiger, Born, and others, all favourable to 

 the specific distinctness, which are surely of greater weight 

 in the examination of this question than the fact that Giinther, 

 in 1858 (Catal, of Batr. Sal.), from the examination of a few 

 specimens in spirit, made at a time when very little had been 

 published on the subject, did not admits, arvalis as a species. 

 But I am glad he has alluded to this high authority, as it 



* a. iberica is now well represented in the Natural -History Museum, 

 Dr. Gadow having collected numerous specimens during a recent journey 

 in Portugal. Of B. Latastii there are several specimens, for which I am 

 indebted to Dr. Camerano. 



I It should be understood that by '•' absence " of yocal sacs systematic 

 authors have hitherto had in view the absence of openings iiiside the 

 mouth indicating the presence of such sacs. But, as observed by Leydio- 

 this does not imply the total absence of these organs, and the Batrachians 

 held to be devoid of vocal sacs, such as Rana agilis, Bufo vulgaris, Disco- 

 fflossus, Bombinator, &c., are by no means dumb, and have the faculty of 

 inflating the throat. 



