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Show 1891.] TADPOLES OF THE EUROPEAN BATRACHIANS. 623 and parallel with the anterior extremity of the latter. But in a specimen from Ballaigues, Switzerland, sent to m e by m y friend Dr. de Bedriaga, the lines of crypts are much more distinct and blackish ; in addition to the series described above, it shows the second dorsal line prolonged to the base of the tail, which also bears two lines, the upper being on the upper caudal crest; a short series descends vertically from below the centre of the eye, another, curved, from below the anterior extremity of the dorsal lines, a third on each side of the mouth, aud a fourth extends on each side of the belly, from the level of the spiraculum nearly to the origin of the hind limbs, its anterior extremity bent downwards and forwards. This specimen is figured above, p. 598, fig. 3, C. Lead-grey to blackish above, uniform or with round blackish spots ; sides with large silvery or pale golden spots; belly greyish white with metallic spots ; tail with numerous dark brown dots or round black spots, which are very apparent on the greyish-white crests. Nearly black tadpoles are on record (Heron Royer, Bull. Soc. Zool. France, 1878, p. 62), and an albino has been figured (Lataste, Actes Soc. Linn. Bord. xxxiv. 1880, pi. xi.). The largest tadpoles I have seen were obtained by me iu company with m y friend M . Lataste, in May 1882, at St. Germain-en-Laye, near Paris. The following are the measurements of one of them :- Total length 80 millim.: body,28, width of body 21; tail 52, depth of tail 19. Heron Royer and Van Bambeke also mention specimens 85 millim. long, and Fischer-Sigwart (' Das Thierlebeu im Terra-rium,' Zofingen, 1889, p. 61) gives 90 millim. as the maximum length; but this size is exceptional, some specimens, although full-grown, not exceeding 40 millim. I cannot find any constant character differentiating the Spanish- Portuguese tadpoles (var. boscce, Lataste) from the typical form, except that the tail is usually spotted with deeper black. The tadpole of Alytes obstetricans has been described and figured many times. In addition to the anatomical works of C. Vogt (Unters. iib. d. Entwickl. d. Geburtshelferkrote, Solothurn, 1842), Keiffer (Arch, de Biol. ix. 1888, p. 55, pis. iii. & iv.), and Heron Royer and Van Bambeke (t. c. p. 285, pi. xxii. fig. 1), containing information respecting the buccal characters, the contributions must be mentioned of Poiita!lie (Ann. Sc. Nat. 3, xviii. 1852, p. 248), Lataste (Actes Soc. Linn. Bord. xxi. 1876, p. 446, pi. ix. figs. 1-3, 7-9), Heron Royer (Bull. Soc. Zool. 1878, p. 132, pi. iii. figs. 9-11), and Bedriaga (Bull. Soc. Nat. Mosc. 18S9, p. 603, and "Les Larves des Batracfens de Portugal," Coi'mbre, 1891, p. 12). The Midwife Toad is common nearly all over France', in Belgium (Provinces of Namur, Liege, and Luxemburg), in Switzerland, distributed locally in Germany as far east as Brunswick and Thuringia (Nehring, Sitzb. Ges. nat. Fr. Berl. 1887, p. 48, and Naturw° Wochenschrift (Berlin), v. 1890, p. 278 ; Wolterstorff, Zool. 1 I have failed to find it in the northern parts of Ille-et-Vilaine and the adjoining parts of the C6tes-du-Nord, although the species is said by Pontallie to be quite common near Rennes. PROC. ZOOL. Soc-1891, No. XLII. 42 |