Teibus II. BATRACHIA ANURA. 



Body short and thickish, without tail when adult. Head broad, 

 depressed. Lower jaw toothless. Eyes provided with an upper 

 and a lower lid. Tongue fleshy, either adhering by its entire under 

 surface, else more or less free posteriorly. Two pairs of limbs; pos- 

 terior ones longest. Skin naked or else scaleless, either smooth or 

 warty. No external auricular aperture, but oftentimes a tympanic 

 membrane. Yent round and terminal. 



Stn. — Anoures, DuM. Zool. anal. 1806. — DuM. & BiBR. Erpet. gen. VIII, 1841, 

 291. 

 Anura, FiTZ. Syst. Eept. i, 1843, 34. 



Observ. — The tailless Batrachians constitute a very natural group, 

 and easily distinguished from the caudate tribe, not merely because 

 the tail is absent in their full-grown state, but chiefly also by a shorter 

 and more compact body, more developed legs, especially the posterior 

 pair, which are adapted to the jump. When teeth exist upon the jaws, 

 they are found upon the upper jaw, never upon the lower one, which 

 is always toothless. Again, vomerine teeth are not constantly met 

 with, and as to sphenoid teeth, they are not known in this group. 



Fam. RANIDAE. 



Teeth to the upper jaw, and on the vomer also. Tongue oftentimes 

 bifurcated posteriorly. No parotid glands. Extremities of fingers 

 and toes tapering. Abdomen smooth. 



^Yi^.—Ranidae, BoNAP. Saggio Distr. metod. Anim. vertebr. 1831, 83. 

 Raniformes, DuM. & Bibr. Erpet. gen. VIII, 1841, 317. 



Observ. — It will always be easy to distinguish the frogs from the 

 toads, by the presence of teeth to the upper jaw as well as on the 

 vomer. This family is not to be so widely separated from the tree- 

 frogs, as observed further on. 



