. The Annals and magazine of natural history; zoology, botany, and geology . ble change, if the large beard that is placedat the angle of the mouth in one genus should turn into the minutebeard on the lower edge of the orbit, far above and in front of theangle of the mouth, in the other ; yet I am assured by an experiencedherpetologist that he believes this change does take place, and thatit is only consistent with what is to be observed in the transfor-mation of other Batrachians. No such changes have occurred tome. There is no doubt that the beard at the angle of the mouth ismuch longer and
. The Annals and magazine of natural history; zoology, botany, and geology . ble change, if the large beard that is placedat the angle of the mouth in one genus should turn into the minutebeard on the lower edge of the orbit, far above and in front of theangle of the mouth, in the other ; yet I am assured by an experiencedherpetologist that he believes this change does take place, and thatit is only consistent with what is to be observed in the transfor-mation of other Batrachians. No such changes have occurred tome. There is no doubt that the beard at the angle of the mouth ismuch longer and more slender in the young larva than it is in theoldest specimen we yet possess of the genus Silurana. But whilethe beard diminishes in length, it increases considerably in thick-ness, showing no inclination to disappear, and does not at all alterits place in any of the specimens I have observed either in the BritishMuseum or at Liverpool. The least-developed fish-formed specimen (fig. 1) is about 2\ incheslong, and has only the hinder pair of legs developed. The legs are. short and weak ; and the toes are short and of nearly equal length,but with the three black claws well developed. The head is de-pressed, very broad, and flat above, and shelving to near the back Dr. J. E. Gray on the Clawed Toads of Africa. 339 behind. The mouth is small, with a very long slender beard on theupper lip, at the angle of the mouth. The eye is on the keel on theside of the head, considerably behind the beard, placed so as to bevisible from the upper and lower surface. The body is swollen;the tail compressed; the inferior fin commences in the middle ofthe belly, and is extended to the end of the tail. There is a second fish-formed specimen, not more than 2 incheslong and much more slender, which also has the front limbs developed,from the upper part of the sides ; these limbs are weak, and the toesare short and equal. The hinder limbs are rather more developed,their toes rather more unequal; and
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