648 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol, XIII. 
quickly supersede all others.; but this has not altogether been borne 
out by results of actual experience. For instance, it has proved quite 
unsuited for all specimens containing calcareous matter, such as 
molluses, echinoderms. and crustaceans ; also for insects, in which 
connection I will only instance spiders ; and for reptiles it has certain 
disadvantages as a permanent medium. For ‘ flabby ’ animals, such as 
jelly-fishes, &c., it is superior to any other known medium. To the — 
field collector, however, it is invaluable even for reptiles, and specimens 
brought home in it can, as convenient, be transferred to spirits. 
For travelling the most convenient kind of vessel for carrying 
either formalin solution or spirits will be found to be a wide-mouthed 
stone jar with screw top, packed in a straw-lined basket. These the 
Society used to distribute at one time to members wishing to have 
them. Specimens of all kinds can be labelled and popped into this 
at once, to be transferred to suitable small bottles or jars of clean spirit 
after wards. . 
Batrachia (Frogs and Toads), or Amphibia of some authorities. 
This class of vertebrates is divided into three orders, wiz., (a) the 
Evcaudata, (frogs and toads proper) of which our standard text-book 
enumerates 124 species ; (6) the Caudata, (newts, &c.), only repre- 
sented in our limits by one species that is found in the mountains of 
Yunnan and Sikhim ; and (c) the Apoda (Czxcilians or Blindworms) 
little-known creatures that may be descriked as worm-like, limbless, 
and generally tailless beasts that come into this class from the fact 
that they go through a fish-like larval stage, corresponding to the 
tadpole of frogs, with a subsequent metamorphosis as they approach 
maturity. Of these there are but five known species in India. 
As mentioned already our most recent book on these animals 
deals only with the scientific description of the adult—and to really 
understand that description one must of necessity be a bit of a special- 
ist—with a brief mention of the habitat. If one wishes to know 
anything more about their life-history and habits, one must refer to 
Dr. A. Giinther’s standard work ‘ Reptiles of British India ’—a great 
quarto volume published in 1864, or other older works. In this, 
however, only thirty-seven kinds of frogs and toads are described, 
being all that were, then known to science, and such a book is not as a 
rule available for purposes of reference by many beginners. Occa- 
