254 



luii.LiynN :m, imtki) statks national MnsKUM. 



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i' li: 



iifiive witli the bulk ol" the tribi' in posst'ssiiij; tlilnU'd sacMiil dijipopliy- 

 sfs, whilst those ;it tlic other cxtieiiie e.\!iil>il tlieiii c.n liiidi ie;il. (■>) A 

 few of the rormer possess siiiaU iil»s, ami (J) the iiiostvh' approaeh«'s 

 the iioi'inal eonditioii of vertehnc in possessinji' one pair of trans 

 verse proeesses ; (5) most of these, with tiie adjoininj;' less extienie 

 forms, hav(^ a vertical or eat-like pnpil. ()>) Many of the same j;ronp 

 exhibit a dej^raded or obliterated aiiditoiy apparatus; lint this li-atnit- 

 is n(tt unil'oiiidy ("oineident with the preecdinu ones. (7) Tlie \ipiii- 

 sternum is tbrnu'd of divergent lindis; in the bulk of tlie liilu' it is an 

 emarjjinate eartila^^inous plate, and in the opposite i-xticMU' an osseous 

 style, as in the Itanida'. 



t)f these features" the lirst, thiid, tbnrlli. and sixth are ajireements 

 with or approximations to tin* structures (if the same elements of liir 

 Salamanders; the resenddanees are Itorne out in the physiology of the 

 same types. 



In the ol»ser\cd examples of the aimvc l.\ pes that is, (»t' th*' l>isco- 

 {ilossiihe, Pi'h.ilytithe, and Scaphiopttdida, the e.uus are deposited in 

 small clusters (i'ehnlytes). a sli(»it thick loop (l'eloi>ales), or in a st-iics 

 with a slender, touj^h, thri'id like atlachnu-ni (AI.vlcsi. in the family 

 fbM(»w inn' that of the Teloliates. that is the New Wdrld tree toads, the 

 ejuj^s are, in the Old World species ( /////(/ <o7/o>7'(() deposited in ,i;lolui- 

 lar masses, as amon^' the lianida-, luit much smaller, while in out 

 /////(( i>icLrriiifiii the m.isses include hut fnun foui' to ten e^iiis. In the 

 first nientioned forms the male sci/es the female in trout ot tlu' thi^^lis, 

 while in the iemainin;i; ami major numlicr of species, as well as in the 

 ol)served rirmisternia, she is seized around the axilhe. 



Additional i»ei;uliarities in the dexclopment of Alytes, IV-Iodxtes, 

 Cultripes, and I'elobates are, that they spawn at two seasons iiisiead 

 of oiu>, and that their larva' attain a lar;^* si/e than those of other 

 Anura before eompletin;^ their metamorphosis. 'I'hi> latter l«-ature is, 

 however, repeated near the other end of the s«'ries — amoiii; those with 

 cylindrical pelvic supports, in the jicuiis I'seudis. 



Theoccuireneeof a xiphisternal style >imdarto iii;!l <'f the K'anida' niay 

 be regarded as an indication oi" supcriorits not «uily in consideration 

 of this allinily, bui as a ;;reater dt';;ree ot speciali/ation and ossilica- 

 tion of the part. It appears, however, noi merely anions the most 

 raiiiform Arcil"eia, and anion;; some with proco'Ious vertebia-, which 

 have the salamander-like mode ot' re|U'oductioii, but also ainoii^ some 

 of the opistli()C(elous spe(;ies. 



The only family features as above ;iiven which seem to have a func- 

 tional sijiiiilieaiice, are the struetuie of the terminal plialan>;-es as an 

 adaptation to arb-.ireal life in the llylida- and the increase of raptorial 

 power by the addition of another set of teeth in th»' llemiphractida'. 

 Vet for the Mist-mentioiied function other arranj-ements are employed 

 in other families. 



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