17 



BUFO AMERICANUS.— Leconte. 



Plate IV. 



Characters. Head short; snout rounded; nostrils placed near the snout; 

 tympanum moderate and very distinct; parotid gland narrow, elongated, elliptical; 

 body short, bloated; anterior extremities large, fingers free; posterior extremities 

 short, toes semi-palmated; a spade-like process at the root of the first toe. 



Synonymes. Bufo Americanus, Leconte. 



Bufo musicus, Harlan, Journ. Acad. Nat. Scien., vol. v. p. 344. 

 Common Toad, Vulgo. 



Description. The head is short, with the snout almost rounded; the mouth is 

 much smaller than in the Bufo lentiginosus, and the jaws are entire. The 

 nostrils are small, and placed near the snout. The eyes are large and brilliant; 

 the pupil dark, with the iris presenting a minutely reticulated appearance of black 

 and gold. The superciliary ridges are but slightly elevated, and do not terminate 

 in a knob posteriorly; the membrane of the tympanum is moderate and very 

 apparent; the parotid glands are narrow, elliptical, and very long. 



The body is short, thick, and bloated, and has its superior surface covered 

 with warts of different sizes. A longitudinal line of dirty-white runs from the 

 occiput to the vent; on each side of this are several conspicuous, well-defined 

 spots, varying in colour, size, and shape: we sometimes find them systematically 

 arranged in rows. Along the flanks is a broad but indistinct band, extending to 

 the posterior extremities; this band is so broken as to give the appearance of a 



