﻿8 
  INTEODUOTION. 
  

  

  Series 
  B. 
  — 
  Fiemisteenia. 
  

  

  Coracoids 
  firmly 
  united 
  by 
  a 
  simple 
  epicoracoid 
  

   cartilage 
  ; 
  pra?coracoids 
  resting 
  with 
  their 
  distal 
  

   extremity 
  upon 
  the 
  coracoids, 
  or 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  

   latter 
  by 
  the 
  epicoracoid 
  cartilage. 
  

  

  Family 
  5. 
  — 
  Ranid^. 
  

  

  Vertebrae 
  procoelous 
  ; 
  no 
  ribs; 
  diapophyses 
  of 
  

   sacral 
  vertebra 
  cylindrical; 
  upper 
  jaw 
  toothed. 
  

  

  8. 
  Baiia, 
  L.. 
  1766. 
  

  

  13. 
  esculent 
  a, 
  L., 
  1766. 
  

  

  14. 
  arvalis, 
  Niiss., 
  1842. 
  

  

  15. 
  earner 
  ani^ 
  Blgr., 
  1886. 
  

  

  16. 
  temporaria, 
  L., 
  1766. 
  

   .- 
  17. 
  grdeca, 
  Blgr., 
  1891. 
  

  

  18. 
  iberica, 
  Blgr., 
  1879. 
  

  

  19. 
  latastii, 
  Blgr., 
  1879. 
  

  

  20. 
  agilis, 
  Thorn., 
  1855. 
  

  

  We 
  are 
  thus 
  now 
  acquainted 
  with 
  twenty 
  well- 
  

   established 
  species, 
  as 
  against 
  twelve 
  and 
  eighteen 
  

   enumerated 
  in 
  the 
  two 
  preceding 
  general 
  works 
  on 
  

   the 
  Batrachians 
  of 
  Europe, 
  viz. 
  Scheeibee's 
  ' 
  Herpe- 
  

   tologia 
  Europgea,' 
  1875, 
  and 
  de 
  Bedeiaga's 
  ' 
  Frosch- 
  

   lurche 
  Europas,' 
  1889. 
  

  

  Most 
  of 
  the 
  additions 
  made 
  during 
  the 
  last 
  twenty 
  

   years 
  fall 
  to 
  the 
  genus 
  Eana, 
  and 
  are 
  in 
  fact 
  dismem- 
  

   berments 
  of 
  the 
  Linnean 
  species 
  i?. 
  temporaria. 
  That 
  

   the 
  forms 
  here 
  admitted 
  as 
  species 
  are 
  fully 
  entitled 
  

   to 
  that 
  rank, 
  no 
  one 
  acquainted 
  with 
  their 
  histories 
  

   will 
  contest 
  for 
  a 
  moment. 
  Nor, 
  among 
  recent 
  acces- 
  

   sions 
  to 
  our 
  knowledge, 
  is 
  the 
  distinction 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  

   species 
  of 
  Bombinator 
  or 
  the 
  two 
  of 
  Ahjtes 
  likely 
  to 
  

   meet 
  with 
  any 
  opposition. 
  But 
  the 
  rank 
  to 
  be 
  

   assigned 
  to 
  the 
  principal 
  forms 
  of 
  Hyla 
  arbor 
  ea 
  and 
  

   Rana 
  escidenta, 
  regarded 
  by 
  me 
  as 
  only 
  varieties, 
  

   perhaps 
  remains 
  an 
  open 
  question 
  in 
  these 
  days 
  of 
  

   extreme 
  multiplication 
  of 
  species. 
  

  

  