138 DISCOGLOSSIU^. 



and the very slight amount of mortality that took 

 place among the embryos ; whilst of the tadpoles all 

 except such as I killed for study went through the 

 metamorphosis. In fact, the success in rearing these 

 broods of Discoglossus has been greater than I have 

 experienced in dealing with any other kind of tailless 

 Batrachians under similar conditions. I had no diffi- 

 culty in feeding the tiny young on aphides. 



On the 17th July eggs had again been produced 

 during the night, but they numbered only 306. They 

 hatched on the 18th ; most of them were destroyed 

 shortly after by a fungus. A further oviposition took 

 place under my eyes in the afternoon of July 31st, 

 341 eggs being produced. The male was spotted, the 

 female striped. The same pair remained in the tank, 

 which, on the morning of August 2nd, contained a 

 further lot of eggs, 543 in number — laid, I have every 

 reason to believe, by the same female. Both these 

 broods hatched in less than thirty-six hours. The 

 first went through their evolution without mishap, 

 metamorphosis beginning on September 11th ; whilst 

 the second perished wholesale as embryos through a 

 fungus. Among the former, contrary to my expecta- 

 tion, not one developed into the striped form, but I 

 had the pleasure of obtaining an albino tadpole, flesh- 

 colour with large pale golden spots; the so-called 

 pigmentary network was distinguishable, of an 

 opaque white. The albinism was, however, not per- 

 fect, for the pupil of the eye was black instead of red, 

 and later in life a small quantity of brown pigment 

 appeared on the back. Further ovipositions took place 

 at night on August 18—19, 20—21, 23—24, and 26— 

 27, the number of eggs being 314, 830, 598, 360. All 

 these broods did well, and at the time this account of 

 them is written I have a large number of tadpoles, 

 which will probably not transform until the coming 

 spring. They differ greatly in their degree of deve- 

 lopment, irrespective of age, measuring from 11 to 30 

 millimetres total length. 



