OLASSIPIOATION. d 



on that of the ' Brpetologie generale,' and on the views 

 of J. MuLLBii (1832), who overrated the taxonomic 

 importance of the structure of the ear, and inspired 

 the classification followed by Stannius in the ' Zoo- 

 tomie der Amphibien,' published in 1854. 



The faults of the latter classification were further 

 developed by Gunthee in 1858 (' Oat. Batr. Sal.'), 

 whose avowedly artificial scheme has been followed by 

 Fatio in 1872 and by De Betta in 1874. 



Cope's epoch-making classification in 1865 (' Nat. 

 Hist. Review'), based on a correct appreciation of 

 the osteological characters, placed the matter on a 

 sound footing, and his groupings, slightly modified 

 in 1867, received confirmation, so far as European 

 genera are concerned, from Latastjb's study of the 

 larval characters in 1878 and 1879. In revising the 

 classification in 1882 (' Cat. Batr. Bcaud.') I could 

 introduce but slight improvements to Cope's scheme, 

 as may be seen from the arrangement followed in this 

 work, in which the various groups are placed in 

 ascending order. 



Principal Schemes of Classification. 

 1. DuMEEiL and Bibron, 1841. 



Tongue absent : Pheynaglosses. 



('without disks : Baniformes- 

 Tongue present : Ttoothed ; 

 Phaneeoglosses.J digits 



Upper jawl [v,ith disks : Hylxformes . Hyla. 



Itoothless . . . Bufoniformes Bufo 



fBana. 

 Discoglossus. 

 Pelodytes. 

 Alytes. 

 Pelohates. 

 Boiribinator. 



2. Stannius, 1854. 



% [absent: Aglossa. 



a \ [absent Pelobatoidea \ 



^[present: pot dilated; f , , „, ■ U- ,„. 



^tossA 1 P'-«^«^t' Jmanubriumi ^^sent : Bufomna |^^^^^^_ 



GLOSS . digits 1 sterni Ipresent : jBanma . Eana 



iympanum\, (dilated at the end . Hyloidea . Hyla. 



