THE PROTEUS OF ADELSBERG 
treated of under Axolotl it need not be further referred 
to for the moment. They are, as their name denotes, 
provided with tails ; and they are also almost entirely 
aquatic. There are a few exceptions, such as one of our 
British newts, which is found on occasion without 
visible means of subsistence in cellars and areas, and 
such like remote spots, and is as a rule denominated 
a “reptile”? by the finders thereof. The Urodeles are 
furthermore, with very rare exceptions, impatient of 
great heat, and are almost limited to the north tem- 
perate region. A few stray into Mexico and even South 
America. There are plenty in Europe, and the most 
notorious of these is perhaps the white and blind dweller 
in the caves of Adelsberg, knownas Proteus. Thatanimal 
may be often seen at the Zoo. So, too, a variety of 
newts in the strictest sense of that term. With some 
other forms we deal immediately. As to the Anura or 
frogs and toads, there is an immense variety ; infinitely 
more than there are of Urdeles. With this astounding 
variety of different genera and species the frogs retain 
the typical frog form, and no one can doubt for an 
instant as to whether an amphibian is an Anuran or 
is not. The Anura are as a rule notso purely aquatic 
as are the Urodeles ; but there are exceptions, such as 
the Cape clawed frog, with which we deal later. There 
is not so much variation in the habits of this group as 
might perhaps be expected from their large numbers. 
The supposed flying frog of the East is, as it appears, 
a bit of a fraud. In successive illustrations of that 
amphibian the webbing between the toes, which is 
believed to act as a parachute and allow of flying leaps, 
seems to have grown in amount. It is merely a tree 
frog which can leap above the average. Or to put it 
more accurately, a tree-living frog, not a member of the 
real tree-frogs or Hylide, but of the terrestrial frogs or 
Ranide. The chief variation in habit is really the 
282 
