Zoology.] NATURAL HISTORY OF VICTORIA. [Reptiles. 



streak the rows of tubercles on the back are sometimes dark and sometimes golden- 

 yellow (often with metallic golden-bronze lustre) ; the arms and legs mottled with 

 irregular bands and patches of bluish-green and rusty-yellow. Hind part of the 

 thighs and legs of a more bluish-green than the other parts of the body. Iris golden- 

 bronze, with a black longitudinal streak on each side of the pupil ; hands, feet, toes, 

 and webs brownish golden-yellow. 



Measurements of average specimen : — Length of head, 1 inch ; greatest width, 1 

 inch 3 lines ; depth, 7 lines ; total length from tip of snout to posterior end of body, 

 3 inches 3 lines ; greatest width of middle, 1 inch 8 lines ; depth, 1 inch at middle ; 

 length, 1 inch 5 lines ; leg, from knee to ankle, 1 inch 5 lines ; from ankle to tip of 

 longest or 4th toe, 2 inches 2 lines ; length of inner or shortest toe, 5 lines ; 2nd, 

 8 lines; 3rd, 1 inch; 4th, 1 inch 4 lines; 5th, 1 inch; length of arm from shoulder 

 to elbow, 8 lines ; from elbow to tip of 3rd or longest finger, 1 inch 5 lines ; length 

 of ear-drum, 3 lines; diameter of eye, 3| lines. 



Reference. — = Rana aurea (Less.), Voy. Coq. Zool., t. 7, f. 2 (1830) ; 

 =Ranoidea Jacksoniensis, Tschudi, Mem. Soc. Sc. Nat. N., v. 2 (1838) ;—Hyla 

 Jacksoniensis, Dum. & Bib. Erpt. gen., v. 8, p. 602 (1841). 



This is one of the most beautifully colored Frogs known, but varies 

 greatly ; in early summer it is usually of the richest verdigris-, or 

 pea-, green, with the rows of tubercles and spots and streaks of 

 rich yellow, shining with bright golden-bronze metallic lustre in 

 various parts. Other specimens agree with the above, but have a 

 variable number of spots and streaks of dark-purple on the green 

 of the back and sides ; while some few are dark-brown or almost 

 black on the head, back, and sides, where the green color is usually 

 seen ; and these often have the spots and streaks with a strong 

 metallic lustre of golden-bronze, the green only seen on the thighs 

 and legs, where it has a bluer hue than on other parts of the body. 

 These extremes of bright-green and blackish-brown change one 

 into the other at different times in one individual. For instance, 

 the brown specimen, fig. 2 on our plate, turned green before the 

 drawing was quite finished ; and the beautiful green specimen, fig. 

 1<7, escaped after the drawing was colored, and could not be found 

 for some days, when, finding something soft under my foot, I picked 

 up what I thought was an old brown kid glove, and found it was 

 my sitter for the portrait, and put him again into his glass, where 

 he died next day, first changing into his former vivid pea-green. In 

 spring they are often entirely blackish above and white below, with 

 bluish-green only on the thighs ; and a specimen, entirely green 

 above (tubercles and all), turned in a day to the uniform dark 

 color above. 



[ 14] 



