910 MR. STAifLEY S. FLOWEIl OiT THE [NoV. 14, 



Colour (in life). Upper surface sepia-brown, mottled darker and 

 lighter ; the disk round the head is translucent, colour yellow very 

 finely speckled with sepia-brown. Lower surface yellowish buff, 

 the intestines showing the transparent skin as a dark purplish 

 patch. Muscular poi'tionof tail sepia-brown mottled with yellow ; 

 the crests are transparent, finely speckled with sepia-brown 

 towards their edges, which are dark brown. The legs as soon as 

 they appear have the bright colour and distinct markings of those 

 of the young toad ; Avhen the fore limbs appear the back begins to 

 take the markings of that of the young toad. Iris, a narrow ring 

 of reddish yellow. 



Colour (in life) of newly transformed young. — Upper surface of 

 head and body yellowish brown, extensively marked with black ; 

 sides of head and body spotted with orange and yellow. Limbs 

 red, with dark brown cross-bars. Below purplish grey, with 

 numerous very small whitish-yellow spots. 



Size. Tadpoles (3rd period) : total length 34 mm. : length of body 

 12-5 ; width of body 7 ; width of mouth 6 ; length of tail 21*5 ; 

 depth of tail 3-5 ; depth of mouth 5. 



Newly transformed young : snout to vent 13 to 14 mm. 



38. BuFO MELANOSTiCTUS Schneid. 



Bufo melanostictus, Cantor, p. 142 ; Blgr. Cat. Batr. Sal. p. 306 ; 

 Blgr.Faun.Brit. Ind., Eept. p. 505(fig. p. 506). ; S. Flower, P. Z. S. 

 1896, p. 911, pi. xliv. fig. 3 (tadpole). 



" Kakong," " Katak puru," of the Malays of the Peninsula, 

 according to Cantor. 



" King-kop " of the Siamese. 



Localities. This is the common toad of the Malay Peninsula and 

 Siam, to be found in abundance at all seasons of the year ; I have 

 observed it in the following localities : — Penang (from sea-level to 

 the summit of Western Hill, 2725 feet) ; Alor Star, Anak Bukit 

 and Kulim, Kedah ; Taipiug, Perak ; Johore Bahru ; Singapore ; 

 Paknam Meuam, Bangkok, Ayuthia, Pachim, Kabin, and Chanta- 

 boon in Siam ; and at Kosiehaug, an island in the G-ulf of Siam, 

 where exceptionally large individuals were seen. Specimens from 

 the same locahties vary considerably in roughness, some are nearly 

 covered with strong spinous warts. 



Habits. This species resembles Bufo vulgaris in habits and manner 

 of feeding, and does well in captivity, readily eating beetles, termites, 

 ants, crickets, grasshoppers, &c., but refusing millipedes. As a 

 rule it frequents cultivated places, or the neighbourhood of paths 

 and clearings, only once have I found a specimen in virgin jungle. 

 At certain seasons the males make a good deal of noise croaking, 

 both when wild or when kept in a vivarium ; while croaking the 

 single vocal sac under the chin is distended into a globular form. 

 I have heard them croaking in February (at Ayuthia), in March 

 (at Pach-n), in July (at Bangkok), and in November (in the Penang 

 Hills). The Siamese are much afraid of toads ; a man I employed 



