﻿DISCOGLOSSUS. 
  129 
  

  

  municate 
  by 
  any 
  openings 
  with 
  the 
  floor 
  of 
  the 
  mouth. 
  

   Horny 
  blackish 
  excrescences 
  are 
  largely 
  developed 
  

   and 
  distributed 
  as 
  isolated 
  minute 
  spines 
  over 
  the 
  

   ventral 
  surfaces 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  hind 
  limbs 
  ; 
  they 
  form 
  

   large 
  groups 
  on 
  the 
  inner 
  palmar 
  tubercle 
  and 
  the 
  two 
  

   inner 
  fingers, 
  a 
  band 
  round 
  the 
  chin, 
  and 
  often 
  border 
  

   the 
  web 
  of 
  the 
  foot. 
  These 
  excrescences 
  usually 
  

   persist 
  longer 
  than 
  in 
  most 
  other 
  Batrachians, 
  being 
  

   found, 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  developed, 
  in 
  adult 
  specimens 
  all 
  

   the 
  year 
  round. 
  

  

  Geographical 
  Variations. 
  — 
  The 
  polymorphism 
  of 
  

   this 
  species 
  has 
  given 
  rise 
  to 
  the 
  establishment 
  of 
  

   various 
  species 
  and 
  sub-species, 
  which 
  were 
  believed 
  

   to 
  be 
  restricted 
  to 
  certain 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  habitat 
  of 
  the 
  

   genus. 
  Thus 
  a 
  Discoglossus 
  sardus, 
  Tschudi, 
  was 
  

   stated 
  to 
  be 
  peculiar 
  to 
  Sardinia 
  and 
  Corsica, 
  and 
  a 
  

   D. 
  scovazzii, 
  Camerano, 
  was 
  described 
  from 
  Morocco. 
  

  

  Lataste, 
  in 
  his 
  monograph 
  of 
  1879, 
  had, 
  it 
  seemed, 
  

   disposed 
  once 
  for 
  all 
  of 
  these 
  supposed 
  species 
  by 
  

   showing 
  the 
  inconstancy 
  of 
  the 
  characters 
  adduced 
  

   for 
  their 
  separation 
  ; 
  and, 
  for 
  my 
  part, 
  after 
  examin- 
  

   ing 
  a 
  very 
  large 
  material 
  from 
  almost 
  every 
  part 
  of 
  

   the 
  habitat, 
  I 
  fully 
  agree 
  with 
  him. 
  But, 
  since 
  

   1879, 
  the 
  D. 
  sardus 
  has 
  been 
  maintained, 
  no 
  longer 
  

   as 
  a 
  species, 
  but 
  as 
  a 
  sub-species, 
  by 
  Camerano, 
  

   and 
  the 
  D. 
  scovazzii, 
  or 
  a 
  form 
  very 
  closely 
  agree- 
  

   ing 
  with 
  it, 
  has 
  been 
  revived 
  by 
  Heron 
  -Hoy 
  er 
  under 
  

   the 
  name 
  of 
  D. 
  auritiis 
  ; 
  it 
  may 
  therefore 
  be 
  well 
  

   to 
  explain 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  words 
  why 
  1 
  take 
  no 
  notice 
  of 
  

   them 
  even 
  as 
  varieties. 
  According 
  to 
  Camerano's 
  

   latest 
  definition, 
  D. 
  sardus, 
  from 
  Sardinia, 
  Corsica, 
  

   and 
  neighbouring 
  small 
  islands, 
  differs 
  from 
  the 
  

   typical 
  D. 
  jnctiis 
  from 
  Sicily, 
  Malta, 
  and 
  the 
  Spanish 
  

   Peninsula 
  in 
  having 
  a 
  less 
  acuminate 
  snout, 
  more 
  

   robust 
  limbs, 
  and 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  tibia 
  contained 
  

   twice, 
  or 
  a 
  little 
  over 
  twice, 
  in 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  head 
  and 
  

   body. 
  The 
  two 
  former 
  characters 
  are 
  really 
  too 
  slight 
  

   to 
  be 
  easily 
  appreciable 
  ; 
  and 
  besides, 
  I 
  find 
  Maltese, 
  

   Algerian, 
  and 
  Portuguese 
  specimens 
  with 
  the 
  snout 
  

  

  I 
  

  

  