220 Mr Bles, On the breeding habits of Xenopus laevis Baud. 



On the breeding habits of Xenopus laevis Baud. By Edward J. 

 Bles, B A., King's College. 



[Read 20 May 1901.] 



The tadpoles of the Cape Frog, known as Dactylethra larvae, 

 are so remarkable and so little is known of their development and 

 of the habits of the adult, that I gladly took the opportunity of 

 getting four full-grown specimens from a dealer in December, 1896. 

 There were two males and two females and they had been in 

 his possession for two years. Their previous history could not be 

 traced. They lived in an aquarium holding 2 — 3 gallons and 

 seemed to thrive on a diet of earthworms and strips of raw meat 

 or liver. The food is directed towards their mouths by their 

 hands and they cram it in with jerky and clumsy movements of 

 the arms, the back of the hand always directed towards the 

 mouth. They invariably remain below the surface while taking 



A. Left arm of Xenopus laevis <? ( x 2) seen from below. To show the distri- 

 bution of the nuptial asperities ; they cover the black area. 



B. Cast epidermis from the tip of digit I, dorsal surface ( x 55). The markings 

 on the expanded tip are the outlines of epidermis cells. The cuticular spines are 

 indicated by black dots. Between them lie spaces occupied by skin glands with 

 their median pores. 



