440 



ANIMAL LIFE-HISTORIES 



In one species of toad (Afytes obstetricans, fig. 964) which 

 ranges from Portugal to Central Germany, the eggs are taken 

 care of by the male, reminding us of what happens in some fishes 

 (see p. 427). They are laid in two long strings folded up into 

 a gelatinous mass, through which he thrusts his legs and carries it 

 about till the tadpoles are ready to hatch out, some three weeks 

 later. During this critical time the father hides during the day 

 in some hole or corner, digging a refuge for himself if necessary. 

 At night he ventures out to feed, and prevents the eggs from 

 drying up by moistening them with water or dew. When the 



Fig. 964. Male Alytes, carrying the eggs 



time for hatching arrives he goes into the water, and the tadpoles 

 wriggle out of their investments. They are well developed, for 

 the eggs are fairly large, and contain a considerable amount of 

 food-yolk, which enables the early part of the larval stage to be 

 passed within the egg. 



The male of a small species of toad (Rhinoderma Darwini) 

 native to Chili tends the eggs in a still more curious way. He 

 possesses a large croaking sac situated just within the skin on the 

 ventral side of the body. The ordinary use of this, as in such 

 creatures generally, is supposed to be that of a resonator by which 

 the volume of the voice is increased. The pouch opens by a slit 

 on either side of the tongue, and it serves as a receptacle for the 

 eggs, though how they get into it is not known. The whole of 

 the development takes place in this secure shelter, out of which 



