1908.] ON A GENUS OF OMENTAL BATRACHIANS. 407 



about in front of the female, exhibiting his brilliantly coloured 

 throat and fins to their best advantage. 



During a short absence from my post of observation, the pair 

 was disturbed by fishermen with casting-nets and never returned 

 to the nest. 



We see, however, that it is the male only who constructs the 

 nest, and it is not until the latter is completely finished that ho 

 goes out in search of a mate. This is by no means unusual ; and 

 a similar state of things has been described in the American 

 Oichlid, Geophagus brasiliensis, and in many Oentrarchids. / 



The native fishermen confirmed my observations and informed 

 me that they made use of their knowledge by catching the large 

 males over the holes, the fish being too occupied by their nest- 

 making to be easily disturbed. 



I was unfortunately unable to witness the oviposition ; but an . 

 intelligent native whom I cross-examined informed me that male 

 and female repair together to the nest where the eggs are 

 deposited, the female later taking them into her mouth. He 

 ridiculed the idea of a reverse process of parturition, which Loafc 

 asserts to be the belief of some of the Nile fishermen. 



A number of fish were brought to me containing ova or young 

 in the mouth ; these, as Avas to be expected *, all proved to be 

 females. One specimen, carryii:ig yovxng measuring about 10 mm. 

 in length, had the oviducts full of large ripe eggs, and was evi- 

 dently prepared to mate again as soon as the first brood was 

 disposed of, as already ascertained by Pellegrint in Tilapia 

 gcdilcea. 



6. A Revision of the OrientaJ Pelobatid Batrachians (Genus 

 Megcdoplirys). By G)-. A. Boulenger, F.R.S., V.P.Z.S. 



[Received April 6, 1908.] 



(Plates XXII.-XXV.t and Text-figure 78.) 



My attention has been drawn to the generic characters of the 

 Pelobatidfe of the Oriental Region through the notes published 

 by Mr. Beddard a year ago in these ' Proceedings ' § on the 

 anatomy of Megcdoplwys nasuta, in which he stated that the 

 single specimen examined by him had proccelous vertebrae, whereas 

 the genus Megalophrijs had been defined by Cope and myself 

 as having the vertebra3 opisthocoelous. A skeleton of an adult 

 Megalophrys nasida which I had prepared confirmed Mr. Beddard's 

 statement ; but at the same time I find the vertebrae to be pro- 

 <joelous also in some specimens of M. viontana, the type of the 

 genus, and of M. longipes, of which species other specimens 



* Cf. G. A. Boulensrer, Tr. Zool. Soc. xvii. 1906, p. 538 



t Mem. Soc. Zool. France, xvi. 1904, p. 311. 



X For explanation of the Plates, see p. 430. 



§ P. Z. S. 1907, p. 324. 



