﻿INTEODUCTIOJs\ 
  

  

  ^ 
  I. 
  Classiiicatiox. 
  

  

  For 
  many 
  years 
  the 
  Tailless 
  Batrachians 
  (Ecatjdata 
  

   s. 
  Anuea) 
  were 
  classified 
  in 
  a 
  yery 
  unsatisfactory 
  

   manner. 
  The 
  genera 
  Biifo 
  and 
  Kyla 
  were, 
  it 
  is 
  true, 
  

   always 
  regarded 
  as 
  the 
  types 
  of 
  distinct 
  groups 
  : 
  but 
  

   Pelodytes, 
  Pelohates, 
  Discoglossus, 
  Bomhinator, 
  and 
  

   Ahjtes 
  were 
  placed 
  with 
  Eana, 
  or 
  in 
  separate 
  families 
  

   in 
  most 
  unnatural 
  associations. 
  

  

  DuMEEiL 
  and 
  Bibeon, 
  in 
  the 
  eighth 
  volume 
  of 
  their 
  

   standard 
  work, 
  ' 
  Erpetologie 
  generale,' 
  published 
  1841, 
  

   after 
  dividino* 
  the 
  order 
  into 
  two 
  sub-orders, 
  Phanero- 
  

   glosses 
  and 
  Plirynaglosses 
  (= 
  Aglossa, 
  the 
  two 
  exotic 
  

   genera 
  Pijxt 
  and 
  Xenopus), 
  a 
  primary 
  division 
  first 
  

   inti^oduced 
  by 
  Wagler 
  in 
  1830 
  and 
  which 
  has 
  stood 
  

   the 
  test 
  of 
  time, 
  combined 
  the 
  Phaneroglossal 
  genera 
  

   into 
  three 
  families 
  — 
  Ranifoiines, 
  Hylseformes, 
  Bnfoni- 
  

   formes 
  ; 
  the 
  two 
  latter 
  containing 
  each 
  a 
  single 
  Euro- 
  

   pean 
  genus, 
  whilst 
  under 
  the 
  former 
  all 
  others 
  were 
  

   arrano'ed 
  in 
  a 
  series 
  without 
  further 
  subdivision. 
  

  

  So 
  unnatural 
  an 
  arrangement 
  evoked 
  criticism 
  from 
  

   all 
  who 
  were 
  acquainted 
  with 
  the 
  life-histories 
  of 
  the 
  

   European 
  forms 
  ; 
  and 
  an 
  excellent 
  French 
  observer 
  of 
  

   these 
  animals, 
  A. 
  Thomas, 
  in 
  a 
  paper 
  published 
  in 
  the 
  

   •Annales 
  des 
  Sciences 
  naturelles,' 
  1854, 
  dwelt 
  upon 
  

   the 
  correlation 
  which 
  exists 
  between 
  the 
  shape 
  of 
  the 
  

   pupil 
  and 
  the 
  mode 
  of 
  amplexation 
  during 
  parturition, 
  

   and 
  proposed 
  to 
  group 
  together 
  on 
  the 
  one 
  hand 
  those 
  

   genera 
  that 
  have 
  a 
  horizontal 
  pupil 
  and 
  an 
  axillary 
  

   embrace, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  those 
  that 
  combine 
  a 
  vertical 
  

   or 
  triangular 
  pupil 
  with 
  a 
  lumbar 
  embrace. 
  These 
  

   divisions 
  were 
  later 
  provided 
  with 
  names 
  by 
  Beuch 
  in 
  

   1863 
  {Plagioglena, 
  OrtJwglena), 
  and 
  by 
  de 
  l'Isle 
  in 
  

   1877 
  {Alamplexes, 
  Inguinamjplexes). 
  

  

  How 
  exaggerated 
  the 
  importance 
  attached 
  to 
  this 
  

   correlation, 
  which, 
  besides, 
  holds 
  good 
  only 
  for 
  the 
  

   European 
  forms, 
  is 
  now 
  apparent 
  to 
  all. 
  Yet 
  the 
  ar- 
  

   rano'ement 
  proposed 
  by 
  Thomas 
  was 
  a 
  decided 
  advance 
  

  

  