220 Mr Bles, On the breeding habits of Xenopus laevis Baud. 
On the breeding habits of Xenopus laevis Baud. By Edward J. 
Bles, B A., King’s College. 
\Read 20 May 1901.] 
The tadpoles of the Cape Frog, known as Dactylethra larvae, 
are so remarkable and so little is known of their development and 
of the habits of the adult, that I gladly took the opportunity of 
getting four full-grown specimens from a dealer in December, 1896. 
There were two males and two females and they had been in 
his possession for two years. Their previous history could not be 
traced. They lived in an aquarium holding 2 — 3 gallons and 
seemed to thrive on a diet of earthworms and strips of raw meat 
or liver. The food is directed towards their mouths by their 
hands and they cram it in with jerky and clumsy movements of 
the arms, the back of the hand always directed towards the 
mouth. They invariably remain below the surface while taking 
A. Left arm of Xenopus laevis <? ( x 2) seen from below. To show the distri- 
bution of the nuptial asperities ; they cover the black area. 
B. Cast epidermis from the tip of digit I, dorsal surface ( x 55). The markings 
on the expanded tip are the outlines of epidermis cells. The cuticular spines are 
indicated by black dots. Between them lie spaces occupied by skin glands with 
their median pores. 
