﻿BUFO. 
  

  

  241 
  

  

  seventh 
  and 
  eighth 
  directed 
  slightly 
  forwards 
  ; 
  of 
  

   ninth 
  or 
  sacral 
  strongly 
  dilated, 
  as 
  broad 
  as 
  long 
  

   or 
  slightly 
  broader. 
  Urostyle 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  the 
  skull. 
  

   A 
  single 
  bone 
  to 
  the 
  pollex. 
  Pelvis 
  slightly 
  longer 
  

   than 
  the 
  vertebral 
  column 
  without 
  the 
  urostyle. 
  

   Tibia 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  or 
  slightly 
  shorter 
  than 
  the 
  femur, 
  

   which 
  is 
  rather 
  strongly 
  curved, 
  and 
  measures 
  once 
  

   and 
  three-fifths 
  to 
  once 
  and 
  two-thirds 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  

   the 
  tarsus. 
  

  

  Measurements 
  oj 
  

  

  ? 
  Skeleton 
  

  

  (in 
  millimetres) 
  

  

  

  <J 
  

  

  9 
  

  

  Length 
  of 
  skull 
  

  

  16 
  

  

  17 
  

  

  Width 
  of 
  skull 
  

  

  

  18 
  

  

  22 
  

  

  Least 
  interorbital 
  width 
  . 
  

  

  

  3 
  

  

  4 
  

  

  Dorsal 
  vertebral 
  column 
  

  

  

  21 
  

  

  24 
  

  

  Urostyle 
  

  

  

  16 
  

  

  17 
  

  

  Humerus 
  

  

  

  

  18 
  

  

  18 
  

  

  Radius-ulna 
  

  

  

  

  12 
  

  

  12 
  

  

  Manus 
  

  

  

  

  15 
  

  

  18 
  

  

  Pelvis 
  

  

  

  

  24 
  

  

  27 
  

  

  Femur 
  

  

  

  

  19 
  

  

  20 
  

  

  Tibia 
  

  

  

  

  18 
  

  

  20 
  

  

  Tarsus 
  

  

  

  

  12 
  

  

  12 
  

  

  Pes 
  . 
  

  

  

  

  24 
  

  

  22 
  

  

  Habits. 
  — 
  This 
  lively 
  little 
  toad, 
  known 
  by 
  the 
  Anglo- 
  

   Saxon 
  name 
  " 
  Natter- 
  Jack," 
  differs 
  from 
  all 
  other 
  

   European 
  Batrachians 
  in 
  being 
  unable 
  to 
  hop, 
  owing 
  

   to 
  its 
  remarkably 
  short 
  hind 
  limbs. 
  It 
  supplies 
  the 
  

   deficiency 
  by 
  running 
  at 
  a 
  considerable 
  pace, 
  the 
  

   body 
  raised 
  from 
  the 
  ground, 
  but 
  stopping 
  every 
  few 
  

   seconds. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  good 
  burrower 
  in 
  sandy 
  localities, 
  

   for 
  which 
  it 
  shows 
  a 
  decided 
  predilection, 
  although 
  in 
  

   France 
  and 
  Spain, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  generally 
  distributed 
  

   and 
  in 
  many 
  places 
  the 
  commoner 
  species 
  of 
  Bufo, 
  

   it 
  accommodates 
  itself 
  to 
  every 
  kind 
  of 
  soil, 
  requiring 
  

   less 
  moisture 
  than 
  any 
  other 
  Batrachian. 
  In 
  Northern 
  

   Europe 
  it 
  is 
  particularly 
  abundant 
  in 
  the 
  sand-hills 
  

   close 
  to 
  the 
  sea, 
  where 
  in 
  summer 
  adult 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  

   young 
  may 
  be 
  seen 
  crawling 
  or 
  running 
  about 
  in 
  full 
  

   sunshine 
  among 
  the 
  sparse 
  tufts 
  of 
  marram 
  grass, 
  

   whilst 
  the 
  eggs 
  and 
  larvae 
  are 
  developing 
  in 
  neigh- 
  

   bouring 
  pools 
  of 
  strongly 
  brackish 
  water. 
  

  

  