Annals of the Transvaal Museum, 
51 
form of varia. The original description of Peters is insufficient for critical 
distinctions but he stated that in habit and form of the upper head shields 
the species closely resembles quinquetaeniata, and from his figure it appears 
that the subocular character is very like that of varia. According to the 
descriptions the following are the distinguishing characters of this species : 
snout much depressed with deeply concave loreal margin, hind-limbs longer 
than in varia, being 34 or 36 mm. (170 mm. total length), whereas in varia 
the h nd limbs are 27 mm. (total length of 165 mm.). The mutual relation- 
ships of the three forms, hildebrandti from Somaliland, hildebrandti from 
German South West Africa, and typical varia, require investigation. 
Scelotes bipes L. — Port Nolloth (Werner). Mr. Boulenger cites German 
South West Africa, but Dr. Werner does not know it from that region. 
Scelotes guentheri Boul. and gronovii Daud. — The former name, according 
to previous identification by the author of the species, applies to the Natal 
and Zululand form, and the type was described and figured as having a 
postnasal scute; besides the specimens previously mentioned by myself, 
I have seen still another example, from Makowe, Zululand (Durban Museum) , 
which was without the postnasal scute. But this, according to Mr. Boulen- 
ger’s key, is the only point of distinction from gronovii. It seems likely 
that the three forms, gronovii Daud., inornatus Smith, and guentheri Boul., 
are only to be distinguished by the character of the hind-limb, which, being 
at the most a mere rudiment, may be expected to show variation. It is 
noteworthy that inornatus and guentheri were both recorded from Port 
Natal (Brit. Mus. Cat.). 
Acontias. — It is by no means easy to satisfactorily distinguish between 
the three species. A. lineatus Pet. has been recorded both by Mr. Boulenger 
and myself from eastern Cape Province (Port Elizabeth, etc.), but I now 
believe that such examples are more correctly referred to meleagris, and 
that lineatus in the strict sense is confined to the Western Province. In 
any case they differ appreciably from the typical form as figured by Peters 
and resemble the immature forms of meleagris excepting in the supra- 
ocular character ; but I find that this character is not constant in specimens 
taken together in the same locality, so that it cannot be used for separating 
species. Mr. Boulenger records both meleagris and plumbeus from Delagoa 
Bay, but it may be doubted if such examples from this one locality really 
represent two distinct species. The species characteristic of Zululand and 
eastern Transvaal is plumbeus, which when adult is easily distinguished 
from meleagris, but half-grown specimens might be referred to either species. 
Batrachia. 
Mr. Boulenger’s key to the families is incorrect as regards the dentition 
of the upper jaw (cp. Cacosternum). 
Pyxicephalus. — This old genus, which for good reasons was abolished 
by Mr. Boulenger in the Brit. Mus. Cat., has been lately restored by Dr. 
Nieden, and the restoration is accepted by Dr. Werner and by Mr. Boulenger. 
But, as shown by the latter authority, it agrees very closely with Rana, and 
the only possible justification for a generic separation is the character of 
the outer metatarsals. But the fact is, the degree of separation of the 
outer metatarsals varies much in the genus Bana (sens, strict,), and careful 
