13G NOTES ON REPTILES, AMPHIBIA, AND FISH. 



fatal cases rosalting from its bito, otic of a boy, and another 

 of a borso, who happening to lie down on the reptile was 

 bitten on the shoulder. It is said to bo innocuous in winter, 

 if roused from its torpor and made to bite, the poisoa seem- 

 ing inert at that season. 



We next come to the Amphibians, a class differing very 

 widely from the true reptiles, though in appearance very 

 similar, the popular mind uniting " efts " and " lizards " as 

 being very nearly akin. 



Of the six British Amphibians five occur with us, the 

 exception being the " Natterjack Toad," a very local species. 



1. liana tamporaria, the Common Frog, called " tem- 

 poraria" on account of the dark mark on the temples. 

 This species is common on all marshy grounds, though not 

 as abundant as formerly; it is too well known to require 

 any account of its history. 



2. Bufo vulgaris, the Common Toad, also too well known 

 to require any description. Very abundant. 



I have noticed that the males are constantly rather smaller 

 in size and darker in colour than the females. It is remark- 

 able how the specimens increase in size as one travels south- 

 ward, being larger in the Channel Islands than with us, 

 larger still in France, until in the Morea and in Sicily they 

 attain to a length of ten inches. 



It is an almost cosmopolitan species, occurring in Central 

 Asia, China, and Japan, and even in the Himalayas to a 

 height of 10,000 feet. 



Wo next come to those amphibians whore the fish-like 

 character is moro apparent, the "newts" or "efts." In 

 these the tail is retained through life, and the gills are 

 retained until long after the four limbs ai'e developed. 



The extraordinary reparative power apparent in the 

 higher reptiles, enabling the lizard to grow a new tail when 



