366 NATURAL HISTORY. 



deeply notched behind, They have well-developed limbs, the fingers quite free, and the toes are 

 webbed, the discs of the toes and fingers being well developed. The Variable Ixalus* of Ceylon is 

 one of them, and is about one inch and a half long, the hind limb being two inches and one-third 

 long, and. is very variable in its coloration. Probably one of this genus lays its spawn in a 

 remarkable manner. Thus, Mr. Holdsworth found in Ceylon, hanging from the side of a stone cistern, 

 a lump of spongy soft substance as large as a crow's egg. It was found about eight inches from the 

 usual surface of the water in the cistern. Dr. Giinther examined the mass, and found it indistinctly 

 greenish and cellular, and that it consisted of an interlaced tissue, enclosing large and small spaces, 

 which may have been filled with air or water. A few lines below the surface of it ova were found ; 

 some in the meshes of the tissue, and others accumulated towards the centre in a lump. They were 

 as large as a pin's head. It is remarkable that this peculiar mass of fibres of uncertain derivation 

 should be so excellent a protection to the ova, and, indeed, a better one than the iisual glutinous stuff 

 which is secreted around the Common Frog's spawn. Whether the cells below the surface of the mass 

 contain air to keep it floating, or whether they once contained water to support the young, is uncer- 

 tain. It is known that some Tree Frogs deposit their spawn in the water which collects in the hollows 

 of trees and branches. 



Dr. Giinther, during an examination of a number of small Tree Frogs from Ceylon, noticed one 

 which had the ova attached to the under part of the body, or, rather, they were attached when the 

 creature was caught, but came off, adhering together like a flat disc in shape, but they left their marks 

 on the mother. They were of the size of a hemp-seed, and the Frog was scarcely two inches in length. 

 This method of carrying the ova beneath the body is exceptional in Frogs. 



The North American genus Acris has species in. which the foot webs and discs are small, and it 

 really closely resembles a small Land Frog.f It is fond of the water, and may be seen on leaves in 

 ponds, and the male, which has an internal vocal sac, is noisy. It has a large heart-shaped tongue. 

 Holbrook, the American herpetologist, described it as a merry little Frog, which chirps like a Cricket, 

 and may be domesticated. 



In Nepal and Sikkim, at an altitude of 5,200 feet, there is a slender, smooth- skinned Tree Frog, 

 with a body three inches and two-thirds in length, the hind limb being six inches in length. It is one of 

 the largest of the Tree Frogs, and is green during life, and uniform dark violet above, after death, and 

 brownish below. The fingers and toes are entirely webbed, and the terminal discs are very large. The 

 vomerine teeth are in two series. It belongs to the genus Rhacophorus. All the species of this 

 remarkable genus have the digits very flat, the discs greatly dilated, and the web large. They inhabit 

 Java, Malabar, Madagascar, and a sub-genus is on the mainland of West Africa. 



The Hylodines are a sub-family of the Hylinse, and have no web on the toes. Some belonging 

 to the genus Hy lodes have teeth on the vomer. 



The little Hylodes ocularis, one of this group with free digits and vomerine teeth, is only 

 eleven lines in length, legs and all, and is very pretty, resembling the Acris gryllus in its 

 habits. It is found on myrtle leaves,, and is diurnal in its habits, seeking its food by day. Like 

 the others of its genus it delights in the sunshine, but they retire to dark, damp places, and sit in the 

 water half covered. South Carolina and Georgia are their localities. 



In one of the group called the Martinique Frog. which is distributed in some of the other islands 

 of the Antilles, the eggs are laid, but do not bring forth Tadpoles. On the contrary, the metamorphosis 

 proceeds inside the egg in about seven days, and the Tadpole state is thus rapidly passed through 

 there. When the little Hylodes bursts forth, it is a tiny perfect Frog with a little tail, but this is 

 soon absorbed. 



A family of the Tree Frogs, the Phyllomedusidse, with maxillary teeth and parotid glands, has 

 a very peculiar opposable condition of the digits, so that the hands and feet grasp the twigs and 

 branches like those of Apes. One of these is from Cayenne and the Brazils, and is blue above, and 

 the sides and legs are spotted with white. It is called Phyllomedusa bicolor. 



The Great Green Tree Frog is the largest of the Batrachians which is found in every part of 

 Australia, and in New Guinea. Specimens are seen as large as a man's fist. This species feeds 

 upon almost every living object that can be swallowed Lizards, Frogs, all kinds of insects, and 

 * Ixalus variabilis. f Acris gryllus, J Hylwlcs marliniccnsis. % Pelodryas cocruleus. 



