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Show 92 DB. EMIL A. GOELDI ON THE BBEEDING-HABITS [Feb. 5, the erection of the nest or pool, in a perfectly passive manner however, that is sitting on the back of the female. However, his erotic ardour is by no means such a frantic one as I have often witnessed in certain European frogs and toads, for, if frightened, the male jumps off and dives down, though not very far. Some time after you will see him emerge again at a few feet distance, and, if all clanger seems past, he will suddenly climb up the wall of his home and resume his former position. The building operations are performed in the most absolute silence. The croakers around are all males clamouring for a mate. These Tree-Frogs work exclusively during the night; in the daytime no sign of Batrachian life can be detected about the pools. Pool no. 3 was finished in two nights (18th and 19th February). O n the 20th, in the morning, it was filled with eggs. But on. other pools w e observed that the eggs sometimes appear only 4 or 5 days after their completion. From 4 to 5 days is necessary for the young tadpoles to leave the eggs; various circumstances, especially the weather, cause sensible differences. Heavy rainfall may destroy the pools, rapidly reducing the height of the wails and thus prematurely releasing part of the tadpoles. But a good number of them will be left on the bottom, and will abandon their nursery only in due time. The parents keep during the day in the neighbourhood of their pools, but are very difficult to discover ; sometimes wTe detected the female hidden at the bottom of the pool. Eggs and tadpoles were carefully studied, observed, and compared, in order to get a positive and sure basis for an accurate determination and to avoid any chance of confusion. M y cousin undertook to rear simultaneously tadpoles in unlimited freedom and others kept in tubs, some specimens being put into alcohol from time to time, carefully noting the results. Details about dimensions, coloration, and changes with growth, I reserve for a future note. I may, however, anticipate this by stating that the tadpoles of Hyla faber, though rapidly attaining a large size, as may be expected of one of the largest species of Tree-Frogs, preserve for a long time the larval tail, which disappears only when the young frog has reached nearly 3 cm. in length. A young "ferreiro" of these dimensions, which had just lost its tail, was sent by m e some months ago to M r . Boulenger for the British Museum collection. Having seen several hundreds of adult individuals alive, I m ay be allowed to say a few words as to the external features of Hyla faber. _ To define what is in fact to be considered as the normal coloration is by no means an easy task, as all the Brazilian Tree- Frogs I have yet observed modify their colours wonderfully according to the surroundings and especially the different degrees of light. Put one of these Hyla faber near the window^, in a well-illuminated place, it will rapidly turn pale ; examine the same individual at night, and the longitudinal median stripe of the |