382 



MR. C. L. BOULENGER ON FAT-BODIES 



[Feb. 15, 



vessel from which it obtains its blood-supply. This vessel is the 

 vena cutanea femoralis, which runs into the pelvic vein just 

 behind its junction with its fellow from the opposite side to form 

 the ventral abdominal vein. 



Sections of the fat-body (text-fig. 38, p. 381) show this organ to 

 consist of an aggregation of fat-cells containing large fat-globules, 

 with enough undifferentiated connective-tissue cells to hold the 

 mass firmly together. Numerous sections of small blood-vessels 

 are to be recognized, and a well-developed connective- tissue 

 capsule surrounds the whole structure. 



As mentioned above, the subcutaneous fat-bodies were found 

 to occur in individuals of both sexes ; it is, however, necessary to 

 record the fact that these structures, at least in the specimens 

 examined by me, are always better developed and more brilliantly 

 coloured in the females, being somewhat inconspicuous and of a 

 neutral grey colour in the males. 



III. The Fat-bodies in other Species of Bufo. 



Altogether, examples of twenty different species of Bufo were 

 cut open and examined, and in fifteen of them fat- bodies were found, 

 identical in structure and in position with those of Bufo viridis ; 

 in others, as for example the common B. vulgaris, no trace of these 

 organs was present. 



The complete list of species examined is given below, the forms 

 possessing subcutaneous fat-bodies being marked -\- : — 



Bufo marinus L. 



,, mauritanicus Schleg. 



,, melanostictus Schneid. 



,, pentoni Anders. 



,, raddii Straucli. 



,, regnlaris Reuss. 



„ spimdosus Wiegm. 



,, tuber osus Gthr. 



„ viridis Laur. 



,, vulgaris Laur. 



In addition a number of other tailless Batrachians were ex- 

 amined, including European representatives of the families 

 Hylidaa, , Pelobatidse, and Discoglossidse : in none of these were 

 fat-bodies to be found at the base of the thighs. 



The above list shows that the species of Bufo possessing 

 such fat-bodies are not by any means closely related forms ; and 

 that this point in Batrachian anatomy is therefore of no great 



