AND BATliACHIANS OF THE SOLOMON ISLANDS. 57 



spine, curved forwards. Other bones of the skull also form prominent ridges, and on 

 the cheeks and fronto-parietal region the skin may adhere to bony rugosities. 



The fore limb, when stretched backwards, reaches as far as the vent, or a little beyond. 

 The fingers are moderately elongate, cylindrical, with obtuse, slightly swollen tips and 

 very strong, round subarticular tubercles ; they are bordered on each side by a slight 

 dermal ridge. The inner finger is slightly shorter than the third, and much longer 

 than the second, which is slightly shorter than the fourth. Three oval metacarpal 

 tubercles, of which the inner is the largest and the most prominent. The hind limb is 

 rather short ; when stretched forwards along the body, the tibio-tarsal articulation 

 reaches the posterior border of the eye, or between the latter and the tympanum ; the 

 length of the tibia equals nearly the length of the head. The toes are rather short, 

 cylindrical, free, with a very slight rudiment of web and a narrow dermal margin ; 

 their tips are slightly swollen ; the fifth toe is much shorter than the third ; the sub- 

 articular tubercles are very prominent, but smaller than those under the fingers. There 

 are two metatarsal tubercles : the outer is small and rather indistinct, the inner is 

 large, oval, a little compressed, and very prominent. 



This Batrachian is remarkable for the numerous appendages and symmetrical folds 

 which ornate its skin. There is a triangular dermal flap on the tip of the snout, on the 

 edge of the upper eyelid, above the vent, and at the tibio-tarsal articulation ; the two 

 former are the largest and strongly papillose, indicating clearly that they are used as 

 tactile organs. The upper eyelid is warty and crossed by a more or less marked dermal 

 ridge, which, slightly curved, extends across the interorbital space to the other side ; 

 there are frequently small conical glandules, or glandular folds on the head. A narrow 

 prominent fold extends from the upper eyelid to the middle of the side, passing above 

 the tympanum. The back shows more or less numerous short glandular folds, and 

 generally a pair of very prominent narrow curved ridges which extend from the upper 

 eyelid along the middle of the back, meeting near the extremity of the coccyx ; one or 

 two pairs of other folds may be present. A small, frequently denticulated, fringe 

 borders the outer side of the tarsus and fore arm. The lower surfaces are entirely 

 shagreened with small granules, smallest on the throat, irregular on the belly. 



The coloration varies as much as the teguments. The ground-colour of the upper 

 parts is yellowish, pinkish, brown, grey, or olive, variously marked with darker and 

 lighter. The hinder side of the thighs below the level of the anal flap is always dark, 

 sometimes deep black, and so is the lower surface of the foot and tarsus. In one 

 specimen the sides of the head are cream-coloured, contrasting with the brown of the 

 upper surface, and there is a deep black temporal band. Another is pinkish brown, 

 with two short ink-black longitudinal bands on the middle of the back and a cross band 

 of the same colour on the interorbital region. Another is blackish olive, with a broad 

 light-olive band along each side of the back and across the interorbital space. Others 

 are blackish, dotted with whitish, &c. &c. Out of the twenty specimens before me, no 



