1880.] PAL^ARCTIC AND ETHIOPIAN TOADS. 555 



are intermediate. Tiie parotoids exhibit astonishing variations ; in 

 all the European and African specimens T have seen, as in most of 

 the Asiatic ones, the parotoids are more or less kidney-shaped, their 

 greatest width being forwards, and more elongate than those of B. 

 calamita, their length equalling double their breadth, and the distance 

 between their front edge and the tip of the snout, or nearly so ; in 

 some Asiatic specimens ^ they are enormous, often ovate, much longer 

 than the head, and once and a half to twice as long as broad. • 

 These differences in the dimensions of these glands do not correspond 

 either with the age, sex, or origin of the specimens ; and as (among 

 the numerous Asiatic specimens kindly sent to me by Dr. Strauch) 

 I have found intermediate forms, I am convinced that these modi- 

 fications are nothing more than individual, and do not necessitate the 

 establishment ,of a distinct variety, as I should certainly have done 

 had I not had a large series of specimens from various localities. 

 Whatever be their form, the parotoids are depressed, and anteriorly 

 in contact with the upper eyelids. 



The body is about three times as long as the head; and there is 

 but little variation between sexes in that respect. 



The proportions of the fore Umb are the same as in B. calamita; but 

 the fingers are not so short nor so pointed ; the third is the longest, 

 then come the first, the second, and the fourth ; the first, or thumb, 

 which is very broad in males, being laid against the index, exceeds 

 it a little in length ; the subarticular tubercles are two-rowed, often 

 imperfectly, under the first and sometimes the second and third 

 fingers. The tubercles of the hand are like those of B. calamita. 



The hind limb is longer than that of 5. calamita and B. raddei; 

 being carried forwards along the body, the metatarsal tubercles reach 

 the anterior corner of the eye in males, the posterior corner in females ; 

 the tibia is always considerably longer than the head, and some- 

 times with a parotoid-like gland, sometimes without. It was first 

 noticed by M. Lataste on an Algerian specimen, which he therefore, 

 and also on account of its origin, regarded as the type of a new 

 species ; but other Algerian specimens do not exhibit the least trace 

 of that gland. I have found it, and much developed, on some Asiatic 

 specimens ; and I thought for some time, before I had an oppor- 

 tunity to examine a great number of these Toads, that its presence 

 corresponded with the extraordinary size of the parotoids, and that 

 these two characters united indicated a species distinct from B. viridis ; 

 but now I have seen the gland in specimens with normal parotoids. 

 I have, however, never noticed it somewhat developed in any Euro- 

 pean specimen. It is therefore necessary to give up considering 

 the absence of a parotoid-hke gland on the upperside of the calf 

 a character of absolute value, distinguishing this species from the 

 two preceding ones. The cutaneous fold along the tarsus is like that 

 of B. calamita. The metatarsus is pronded with two tubercles, the 

 inner one a little more prominent than in B. calamita. The toes are 

 moderately elongate, the fourth one third longer than the third j 



^ Noukouss (Amou-Daria), Tscliinas (Turkestan), Mangyschlak (eastern coast 

 of the Caspian Sea). 



37* 



