166 THE CHANGEABLE TREE-TOAD. 



buzzing about, the Frog would wake up from his lethargic state, and on a suitable opportunity 

 would make a leap at the poor fly, adroitly catch it in his mouth (though he sometimes missed 

 his mark), and, I need hardly add, swallow it. On one occasion, I gave my little favorite a 

 very large 'blue-bottle,' almost as large as himself, but nothing daunted, he caught it in his 

 mouth and endeavored to swallow it, though in vain, for had I not been there I verily believe 

 he would have been choked. 



" Before he changed his skin, which he did now and then, his color became much darker 

 and looked more dirty, and he went into quite a torpid state, but when the event was over, 

 he appeared greener and livelier than ever. One day, after I had had him some time, I 

 was playing upon the pianoforte, when I was astonished by an extraordinary sound, but on 

 looking round I discovered the cause of the great noise, for there was my Frog swollen to an 

 immense extent under the chin, and croaking in a very excited manner, making quite a loud 

 noise. I mention this circumstance because it has been imagined that a solitary Tree-Frog 

 will not croak, but mine certainly proved to the contrary, for though the first croaking was 

 evidently the effect of the piano, yet he would frequently croak after that time without being 

 excited by any apparent noise whatever. I may here mention that the noise of a quantity of 

 Frogs croaking and nightingales singing, has frequently kept me awake for a considerable 

 time during a spring night. 



"And now comes the most melancholy part of my story. Leaving my Frog carelessly on 

 the window-sill, I went to school; when I came back there was the glass certainly, and the 

 Frog also, but oh! distressingly melancholy to relate, the water was quite hot from the intense 

 heat of the sun, and the poor Frog was scorched, or rather boiled to death he was quite dis- 

 colored, being instead of green, a sort of yellow. And thus ends my tale." 



The color of this species is green above, sometimes spotted with olive, and a grayish-yellow 

 streak runs through each eye towards the sides, where it becomes gradually fainter, and is at 

 last lost in the green color of the skin. In some specimens there is a grayish spot on the loins. 

 Below, it is of a paler hue, and a black streak runs along the side, dividing the vivid green of 

 the back from the white hue of the abdomen. 



THE CHANGEABLE TREE-TOAD is a native of many parts of America, being found as far 

 north as Canada, and as far south as Mexico. It is a common species, but owing to its 

 faculty of assimilating its color to the tints of the object on which it happens to be 

 sitting, it escapes observation, and is often passed unnoticed in spots where it exists in great 

 numbers. 



This is a curious and noteworthy species, as it possesses the capability of changing its 

 tints to so great an extent that its true colors cannot be described. It is usually found on the 

 trunks of trees and old moss-grown stones, which it so nearly resembles in color, that it can 

 hardly be detected, even when specially sought. The skin of this creature will, in a short 

 time, pass from white through every intermediate shade to dark-brown, and it is not an 

 uncommon event to find a cross-shaped mark of dark-brown between the shoulders. Old and 

 decaying plum-trees seem to be its favorite resting-places, probably because the insects congre- 

 gate on such trees. 



It is a noisy creature, especially before rain, and has a curious liquid note, like the 

 letter I frequently repeated, and then ending with a sharp, short monosyllable. During 

 the breeding season, this Frog leaves the trees and retires to the pools, where it may be 

 heard late in the evening. In the winter it burrows beneath the damp soil, and there 

 remains until the spring. The contour of this species is very toad-like in shape and general 

 appearance, and this resemblance is increased by the skin glands, which secrete a peculiarly 

 acrid fluid. 



The upper surface of this creature is, as has already been remarked, too variable for 

 description. There is always, however, a little bright yellow on the flanks, and the under 

 surface is yellowish-white, covered with large granulations. The length of this species is 

 about two inches. 



