Dr. J. E. Gray on the Clawed Toads of Africa. 335 



from Natal collected by Mr. Ayres, he named it the B. Miilleri of 

 Peters. 



Professor Auguste Dumeril, in his paper on African Reptiles, 

 published in the 'Archives du Museum,' vol. x. (1861), makes some 

 observations on the distinction of the two species, and figures the 

 head of D. capensis and the entire animal of 1). Mulleri, showing the 

 little beard under the eyes in the latter figure and not in the former. 

 He also makes the head of D. capensis more produced and narrowed 

 in front than in his figure of D. Mulleri ; but I cannot see any such 

 difference between the heads of the Cape and Western African spe- 

 cimens in the Museum collection. 



I may observe that if these naturalists had examined specimens 

 from South Africa, either near the Cape or even so far north as 

 Natal, they would have found the same beard in the true Dactyle- 

 thra capensis, showing that this beard, at least, is a character of 

 the genus, and not a peculiarity of the Mozambique or West Afri- 

 can specimens. 



In several of the specimens the beard under the eyes, at least when 

 it is preserved in spirits, varies in size on the two sides of the 

 animal ; and in one specimen it is scarcely visible on one side, and 

 well developed on the other. 



Dr. Peters also gives as a character of his D. Mulleri^ that it has a 

 spur at the base of the first toe ; and Dr. Hallowell observes that 

 the specimen he had from Gaboon " differs from the Dactylethra of 

 the Cape, more especially in the presence of a sharp-pointed spur 

 projecting from the cuneiform bone, which is not observed in Dac- 

 tylethra capensis J ^ 



Dr. Giinther, in his * Catalogue' (p. 2), also uses this spur as 

 part of the specific character. He says — 



D. Icevis. " Tarsus and metatarsus without any tubercle or spur." 



D. Mulleri, " A spur at the base of the first toe." 



Professor Auguste Dumeril, in the paper before referred to, figures 

 the feet of D. capensis (t. 18. f. 6, 6 a) foi the purpose of comparing 

 them with thefeet of the otherfigure(of D-MwY/en), andobserves, "On 

 peut saisir ainsi des dissemblances fort evidentes des deux especes" 

 (p. 232), showing the spur very distinct in the latter, and not visible 

 in the former — in fact, making the figure agree with the characters 

 assigned, as in the case of the beard under the eyes, rather than as 

 they are in nature. 



On examining the specimens from the Cape of Good Hope (col- 

 lected by Sir Andrew Smith and Mr. Hunter), from West Africa 

 (collected by Mr. Fraser and Mr. Welwitsch), and from Natal (col- 

 lected by the Rev. H. Callaway and Mr. T. Ayres), I find they all 

 have exactly the same kind of spur, which is least distinctly marked 

 in the latter specimen, from Natal, called B. Mulleri by Dr. Giinther ; 

 but the distinctness of the spur appears to depend on the whole foot 

 being larger and more plump, and it is more distinctly developed 

 or prominent in the smaller than in the larger specimens. 



The black horny claws which cover the last joint of the three 

 outer toes and the spur of the hind foot are deciduous in spirits. 



