﻿bufo. 
  245 
  

  

  fordshire, 
  Berkshire, 
  Cambridgeshire, 
  Suffolk, 
  Nor- 
  

   folk, 
  Lincolnshire, 
  Cheshire, 
  Lancashire, 
  Westmor- 
  

   land, 
  and 
  Cumberland. 
  In 
  Ireland 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  known 
  

   from 
  the 
  co. 
  Kerry, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  abundant 
  around 
  

   Castlemame 
  and 
  Valentia 
  harbours. 
  The 
  highest 
  

   altitudes 
  at 
  which 
  this 
  species 
  has 
  been, 
  found 
  are 
  

   3250 
  feet 
  in 
  the 
  Alps, 
  and 
  4000 
  feet 
  in 
  the 
  Jura. 
  

  

  In 
  describing 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  common 
  toad, 
  

   attention 
  has 
  been 
  drawn 
  to 
  its 
  absence 
  from 
  many 
  

   islands. 
  The 
  present 
  species 
  and 
  the 
  green 
  toad, 
  on 
  

   the 
  contrary, 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  islands 
  

   within 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  their 
  habitat, 
  a 
  fact 
  that 
  may 
  bear 
  

   relation 
  to 
  the 
  greater 
  facility 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  eggs 
  and 
  

   larvae 
  of 
  both 
  these 
  species 
  can 
  resist 
  salt 
  water. 
  

  

  Two 
  specimens, 
  male 
  and 
  female, 
  from 
  Mesnil- 
  

   Saint-Blaise, 
  Belgium, 
  are 
  figured 
  on 
  PI. 
  XIII, 
  the 
  

   male 
  in 
  the 
  act 
  of 
  croaking, 
  with 
  fully 
  distended 
  gular 
  

   sac, 
  the 
  female 
  in 
  the 
  running 
  attitude 
  so 
  characteristic 
  

   of 
  this 
  species. 
  

  

  Hybrids. 
  — 
  Although 
  no 
  specimens 
  have 
  yet 
  been 
  

   found 
  in 
  a 
  free 
  state 
  which 
  there 
  is 
  sufficient 
  reason 
  

   to 
  pronounce 
  as 
  hybrids, 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  well-known 
  fact, 
  

   tested 
  by 
  cle 
  l'lsle, 
  Bruch, 
  Pfliiger, 
  Born, 
  and 
  Heron- 
  

   Rover, 
  that 
  under 
  artificial 
  fecundation 
  our 
  species 
  

   of 
  toads 
  cross 
  much 
  more 
  readily 
  than 
  do 
  the 
  frogs. 
  

   De 
  l'lsle 
  succeeded 
  in 
  obtaining 
  hybrid 
  larvae 
  between 
  

   Bufo 
  vulgaris 
  and 
  B. 
  calamita, 
  Heron-Royer 
  perfect 
  

   young 
  of 
  the 
  same, 
  and 
  Born 
  perfect 
  young 
  between 
  

   B. 
  vulgaris 
  and 
  B. 
  viridis. 
  C. 
  Koch 
  has 
  noticed, 
  

   under 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  Bufo 
  cinereus, 
  var. 
  hybridus, 
  a 
  

   female 
  specimen 
  caught 
  near 
  Frankfort 
  (M.) 
  in 
  April, 
  

   1872, 
  pairing 
  with 
  a 
  B. 
  viridis, 
  and 
  which 
  he 
  assumed, 
  

   from 
  its 
  general 
  appearance, 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  cross 
  between 
  

   /;. 
  vulgaris 
  and 
  B. 
  viridis. 
  The 
  description 
  given 
  of 
  

   the 
  specimen 
  is, 
  however, 
  to 
  my 
  mind, 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  

   convincing 
  as 
  to 
  its 
  hvbrid 
  nature. 
  

  

  