The following is the description of the colouring, as given by Mr. Darwin from the living specimen. “Above fine grass green, mottled all over with copper colour, which nearly forms two longitudinal bands; beneath entirely of a lurid reddish lead colour. Iris brown.”

Found by Mr. Darwin in the Archipelago of Chonos (S. of Chiloe) in thick forests.

Genus—HYLA.
Hyla Vauterii. Bibr.

Linguæ subcordiformi, posticè emarginatâ. Dentibus palatinis in fasciculis binis ovalilibus, subcontiguis. Oculis prominentibus. Capite tam lato quam longo. Gulâ bi-plicatâ; suprà levitèr—infrà multùm granulosâ. Dorso fusco-griseo, punctis, maculis et fasciis lateralibus nigris.

Description.—Head short, thick, the sides anteriorly converging towards a nearly right angle, the muzzle rounded. Tongue nearly cordate, posteriorly emarginate, free for about one-fourth of its length. Palatine teeth in two oval fasciculi, placed nearly transversely between the posterior nares, and almost contiguous. Eyes prominent. Tympanum circular, rather large. Body plump, the sides nearly parallel for two-thirds of its length. The skin nearly smooth, but covered with very small inconspicuous granulations over the whole upper surface, which are rather more obvious on the head. The throat, the belly, and the inferior surface of the thighs covered with large prominent granulations. Beneath the lower jaw the granulations are smaller, and the under surface of the limbs excepting the thighs is quite smooth. A small fold of skin over the tympanum passes backwards to the arm; and beneath the throat there are two considerable transverse folds, one of which is before and the other immediately behind the arms. Fore feet, with the palms covered with small granular tubercles, and a tubercle under the joints of the fingers, which are connected to about one-third of their length. Hinder legs longer than the head and body by the whole foot and tarsus. The soles tuberculated. Toes rather short, palmate to half their length.

Colour.—The whole of the upper parts are greyish brown, with a tinge of red, and minutely punctured with black. There are scattered spots of the latter colour on the back and sides, assuming somewhat of a longitudinal arrangement, and a broad blackish grey fascia extends from the eye backwards to the arm, including the tympanum, and this fascia is bordered beneath by a white line. The thighs and legs are barred and spotted with black. The under parts are yellowish white, excepting under the lower jaw, where it is finely mottled with black and white.

I received the name of this species from Mons. Bibron, who had, I believe, applied it to specimens in the Paris Museum. It was taken by Mr. Darwin at Maldonado, lurking under a stone, and at Rio Janeiro on palm-trees.

Hyla agrestis. Mihi.

Capite brevi. Oculis subprominentibus. Tympano mediocri circulari. Lingua subrotundâ, posticè libera, anticè angustatâ. Dentibus palatinis in fasciculis binis, paulò separatis, ad marginem postico-interiorem narium posteriorum. Dorso granuloso. Gulâ plicatâ. Digitis anticis ad basin tantùm, posticis usque ad phalanges penultimas palmatis. Suprà viridis, lineâ albâ laterali, femoribus posticè atque lateribus abdominis, albis, nigro-maculatis.

Habitat, Maldonado, in grassy fields.

Description.—Head short, thick, the two sides of the muzzle approaching each other at a rather acute angle, rounded at the extremity. Eyes rather large and prominent. Tympanum circular, of moderate size, and very distinct. Tongue entire, rounded, and free behind, narrowed, and almost angular in front. Palatine teeth in two oval parcels separated by a very small interval, and placed on a line with the hinder margin of the posterior nares; the whole of the back covered with extremely small granules; a slight fold or elevation of the skin commencing above the posterior margin of the tympanum, and extending backwards just above the arm, in front of which it is met by a more considerable one which crosses the throat from side to side; the under parts covered with large granules; fore feet with the toes palmated only at the base; hinder ones palmated to four-fifths of the length.

The colour of this beautiful species is thus given by Mr. Darwin:—“Above emerald green, beneath white; a silvery white stripe bordered beneath with a very narrow black line, extends from the corner of the eye, along the side, to the thigh; a smaller one at the corner of the mouth; the posterior surface of the hinder legs and the flanks marked with black spots. Iris gold coloured; tympanum brown.”

The young of this species, instead of the bright green colour of the upper parts, is of a delicate grey with small brown markings; and a lateral fascia of brown, bordered above and beneath with a white line, extends from the fore part of the head backwards, the upper white line nearly to the thigh, the inferior one to the shoulder. The black spots on the flanks and thighs are but just visible.

This species so nearly resembles the Hyla pulchella of Mons. Bibron, at least as far as his description enables me to ascertain its characters, that it was with some hesitation that I came to the conclusion that they are distinct. Exclusive, however, of the difference of colour, the back of the present species is granulated, and the throat still more distinctly so, whereas the other animal has the skin on the upper parts, as well as on the anterior part of the throat, quite smooth. The palatine teeth also appear to be somewhat differently arranged.

Mr. Darwin observes, that this species was found in numbers in the open grass plains, and likewise in swamps, about Maldonado, and that they can never ascend trees, as these are entirely wanting at the places frequented by the Hylæ.

Fam.—BUFONIDÆ.
Genus—RHINODERMA. Bibr.

Lingua cordato-ovata, posticè libera et subemarginata. Dentes palatini nulli. Tympanum celatum. Glandæ parotideæ nullæ. Digiti breves, depressi; anteriores ad basin tantùm, posteriores ferè dimidio palmati. Rostrum cutis appendiculo filiformi instructum.

Suprà pallidè rufo-cinereum, fasciis transversis viridescentibus; subtus castaneonigrum, maculis albis.

Description.—The head and body are flattened, the head triangular, slightly truncated in front, but appearing angular from the skin being produced into a small filiform appendage, standing forwards from the extremity of the snout. The eyes are lateral, slightly prominent. Body very slender. Skin perfectly smooth, and without apparent glands, excepting on the thighs. Fore legs rather short, reaching quite to the thighs when placed by the side; the toes almost wholly separate, there being but the rudiment of a connecting membrane at their base. Hinder legs long, extending forwards beyond the head by the whole length of the foot; the hinder toes are connected nearly half their length, and the connecting membrane is thick and coloured like the rest of the skin.

Colour.—The colour varies greatly in different individuals. The following are the principal variations in the specimens collected by Mr. Darwin. Above pale iron rust-colour, with a transverse fascia across the head, a triangular one over the shoulders, a large broad mark on the loins, and the upper part of the thighs all of a bright beautiful green. The under side anteriorly rich chestnut-brown, passing into black posteriorly, with several irregular snow-white spots, particularly a broad one across the belly, and white bands across the legs. Another specimen was cream colour above, the markings darker, and with small spots of green. In one the chestnut colour beneath was replaced by bright yellow. There is one, constituting a very distinct variety, in which the upper part is wholly and almost uniformly dark brown. The female is greenish grey above, without conspicuous markings.

This is the only known species of the genus, which was founded by Mons. Bibron upon the specimens collected by Mr. Darwin. The general slightness and elegance of its form, and its slender proportions, would lead us to consider it at first sight as rather belonging to the Ranidæ than the Bufonidæ; but the total absence of teeth in the upper maxillary arch, shews that its proper place is in the latter group. Its form and the length of the posterior extremities would also prepare us to expect that it can leap freely, which Mr. Darwin states to be the fact. It inhabits thick and gloomy forests, and is excessively common in the forest of Valdivia.