Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 3 (1899).djvu/544

514 The first spawn was deposited on July 3rd, one hundred and nine ova, in small bunches of two to ten, adhering to the weeds. There was an imperfect albino amongst the embryos that hatched, but it never appeared at all healthy, and did not reach maturity.

On the 6th a second brood of seventy-seven appeared; six days later another of sixty-nine. On the 15th forty-seven more; and a fifth brood of only seven appeared to exhaust the capacities of one female. After an interval of five days (on the 21st) there was a fresh oviposition of one hundred and twenty-seven eggs, the first effort of the other female; forty more on the 23rd completed the spawning, making a total of four hundred and seventy-six eggs.

There can be no doubt that three hundred and nine of these eggs can be ascribed to one female, and the balance to the other. These numbers will be seen to be in accordance with the computations of Héron-Royer.

The rapidity with which the embryo develops and breaks through its capsule is striking, two or three of the broods taking only four days to hatch into wriggling larvæ with small four-branched external gills, which disappeared after a few hours.

The gelatinous capsule measured from between 5 and 7 mm.; the vitellus 2·3 mm., dark brown, with large white pale. Length of larva when first hatched, 9 mm.; colour light greyish; tail, well-developed, 5 mm. Length after fifteen days, 15 mm.; tail, 7·5 mm.; light brownish, speckled with darker brown; a darker streak along the vertebral line remaining throughout the larval stage.

After twenty-six days there was only an increase of 2 mm. in the length; the hind legs had just begun to appear as small white stumps.

In thirty-five days they had rapidly reached the length of 25 mm.; and in fifty-four days, after some hot weather, they were 34 mm. long.

Front limbs just visible under the skin; hind limbs with digits