﻿PELODYTES. 
  1S7 
  

  

  to 
  jump 
  in 
  the 
  manner 
  of 
  the 
  true 
  frogs, 
  covering 
  

   14 
  or 
  15 
  inches 
  at 
  one 
  leap, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  besides 
  a 
  good 
  

   climber, 
  ascending 
  smooth 
  vertical 
  surfaces 
  by 
  adhesion 
  

   of 
  the 
  abdominal 
  surface. 
  Nor, 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  its 
  nearly 
  

   free 
  toes, 
  is 
  it 
  a 
  bad 
  swimmer, 
  often 
  frequenting 
  deep 
  

   ponds 
  during 
  the 
  pairing 
  time. 
  Its 
  dermal 
  secretion 
  

   bears 
  a 
  strong 
  smell 
  of 
  garlic 
  As 
  often 
  heard 
  in 
  

   the 
  evening, 
  its 
  voice 
  is 
  feeble, 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  creclc-creck- 
  

   crecJc, 
  which 
  cannot 
  be 
  better 
  compared 
  than 
  to 
  the 
  

   creaking 
  of 
  a 
  leather 
  shoe. 
  But 
  during 
  the 
  pairing 
  

   the 
  male 
  produces, 
  under 
  water, 
  a 
  more 
  sonorous 
  and 
  

   very 
  different 
  note 
  — 
  co-ach, 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  female 
  re- 
  

   sponds 
  by 
  a 
  feeble 
  coo. 
  

  

  As 
  a 
  general 
  rule, 
  Pelodytes 
  punctatus 
  breeds, 
  in 
  

   France, 
  between 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  February 
  and 
  the 
  begin- 
  

   ning 
  of 
  April 
  ; 
  but 
  instances 
  of 
  its 
  breeding 
  in 
  May, 
  

   July, 
  August, 
  September, 
  October, 
  and 
  November 
  

   have 
  been 
  placed 
  on 
  record 
  by 
  A. 
  Thomas, 
  Lataste, 
  

   Bedriaga, 
  and 
  myself. 
  Thomas, 
  who 
  first 
  observed 
  

   the 
  breeding 
  habits 
  of 
  this 
  Batrachian, 
  near 
  Nantes, 
  

   stated 
  that 
  it 
  spawns 
  twice 
  in 
  the 
  year, 
  in 
  the 
  

   spring 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  autumn. 
  According 
  to 
  Heron- 
  

   Eoyer, 
  another 
  French 
  observer 
  wlio 
  devoted 
  special 
  

   attention 
  to 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  animal, 
  Felo- 
  

   dytes 
  breeds 
  only 
  once 
  a 
  year, 
  in 
  the 
  spring. 
  

   Bedriaga 
  has 
  observed 
  the 
  spawning 
  to 
  take 
  place 
  in 
  

   the 
  south 
  of 
  France 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  and 
  again 
  in 
  the 
  

   autumn. 
  On 
  the 
  30th 
  of 
  October, 
  1896, 
  he 
  was 
  so 
  kind 
  

   as 
  to 
  send 
  me 
  from 
  Nice 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  breeding 
  

   specimens, 
  — 
  among 
  them, 
  however, 
  only 
  two 
  females, 
  

   one 
  of 
  which 
  spawned 
  on 
  the 
  way 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  

   reached 
  me 
  with 
  eggs 
  in 
  the 
  oviducts. 
  Having, 
  

   besides, 
  myself 
  found 
  Pelodytes 
  pairing 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  

   coast 
  of 
  Brittany 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  August, 
  I 
  have 
  no 
  

   doubt 
  Heron-Royer 
  was 
  wrong, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  autumnal 
  

   hymen 
  will 
  also 
  be 
  found 
  to 
  take 
  place 
  near 
  Paris, 
  

   where 
  the 
  species 
  is 
  so 
  plentiful. 
  

  

  The 
  mode 
  of 
  embrace, 
  which 
  falls 
  in 
  the 
  lumbar 
  

   type, 
  is 
  peculiar. 
  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  thin 
  waist 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  