﻿REPTILES. 
  

  

  199 
  

  

  friend, 
  Mr. 
  John 
  Mearns, 
  found 
  in 
  a 
  pool 
  in 
  the 
  moss 
  of 
  

   Whitestripes 
  a 
  tadpole 
  alive 
  and 
  in 
  good 
  condition, 
  it 
  still 
  

   having 
  the 
  tail, 
  and 
  only 
  the 
  hind 
  feet 
  developed. 
  In 
  this 
  

   state 
  he 
  very 
  kindly 
  showed 
  it 
  to 
  me. 
  

  

  MacGillivray 
  mentions 
  a 
  Frog 
  to 
  which 
  he 
  gives 
  the 
  name 
  

   Bona 
  ericetorum 
  (Heath 
  Frog). 
  This 
  form, 
  he 
  says, 
  is 
  found 
  

   "in 
  the 
  glens 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  hills 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  height 
  of 
  three 
  

   thousand 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  sea." 
  Then 
  follow 
  particulars 
  as 
  

   to 
  the 
  differences 
  between 
  B. 
  temporaria 
  and 
  "this 
  species." 
  

   The 
  present 
  writer 
  has 
  not 
  seen 
  the 
  latter 
  form, 
  although 
  he 
  

   has 
  caught 
  Frogs 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  glens 
  that 
  run 
  up 
  to 
  fully 
  

   three 
  thousand 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  sea-level. 
  In 
  any 
  case, 
  it 
  does 
  

   not 
  seem 
  likely 
  that 
  the 
  Heath 
  Frog 
  can 
  be 
  admitted 
  to 
  

   specific 
  rank. 
  

  

  Rana 
  esculenta, 
  Gem. 
  The 
  Edible 
  Frog. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  list 
  of 
  reptiles 
  given 
  for 
  the 
  parish 
  of 
  Banchory- 
  

   Ternan 
  in 
  the 
  N. 
  S. 
  A. 
  of 
  Kincardineshire, 
  the 
  Edible 
  Frog 
  finds 
  

   a 
  place 
  ; 
  and 
  Edward, 
  in 
  his 
  Beptiles 
  of 
  Banffshire, 
  p. 
  19, 
  refers 
  

   to 
  what 
  he 
  believes 
  was 
  the 
  Edible 
  Frog, 
  " 
  which 
  differed 
  

   materially 
  in 
  size 
  and 
  colour 
  from 
  the 
  common 
  one, 
  and 
  never 
  

   was, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  can 
  recollect, 
  now 
  associated 
  with 
  them." 
  

  

  It 
  need 
  scarcely 
  be 
  said 
  that 
  even 
  now 
  it 
  is 
  an 
  unsettled 
  

   point 
  as 
  to 
  whether 
  this 
  species 
  is 
  indigenous 
  to 
  Britain 
  or 
  

   not. 
  

  

  Genus 
  BUFO. 
  

  

  Bufo 
  vulgaris, 
  Laur. 
  Common 
  Toad. 
  "Taid." 
  "Tade." 
  

  

  Abundant 
  all 
  over 
  the 
  district, 
  but 
  suffering 
  diminution 
  

   from 
  the 
  same 
  cause 
  as 
  that 
  referred 
  to 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  

   Common 
  Frog. 
  

  

  Family 
  SALAMANDRID^E. 
  

  

  Genus 
  LOPHINUS. 
  

  

  Lophinus 
  palmatus, 
  Dum. 
  and 
  Bibr. 
  Palmated 
  Newt. 
  

   " 
  Water 
  Ask 
  " 
  or 
  " 
  Esk." 
  

  

  This 
  species 
  is 
  most 
  abundant 
  and 
  widely 
  distributed 
  

   throughout 
  " 
  Dee." 
  It 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  ponds 
  in 
  disused 
  quarries, 
  

  

  