Strecher — Notes on Life History of Scaphiopus couchii Baird. 205 



When the animals are in the water they swim in short spurts. 

 If the pool is deep they disappear beneath the surface at the 

 slightest alarm, but if it is shallow they flounder rather help- 

 lessly. 



Early one rainy morning in May I captured a male spadefoot 

 in my front yard, and hearing the cries of others in the adjoin- 

 ing lots I decided to spend a couple of hours in investigating 

 their breeding habits. I dressed to suit the occasion and after 

 providing myself with a perforated fish-bucket and a dip-net, 

 crossed over into the next yard and took up my station in an 

 old, dismantled frame building. The water was from four to 

 six inches deep and only the tops of the taller weeds and grass 

 stalks were above the surface. I remained perfectly quiet for 

 several minutes, keeping my eyes riveted on several grass patches 

 near at hand. In a short space of time my patience was rewarded 

 by the appearance of a yellowish-green head with unusually 

 prominent golden eyes. The spadefoot swam clumsily in the 

 direction of a nearby grass clump and when he had reached it 

 he drew himself partly out of the water and gave vent to a long- 

 drawn "ye-ow." His cry acted as a signal, for immediately 

 Scaphiopus in all portions of the yard responded lustily and the 

 chorus was almost deafening. While my male was giving vent 

 to his cry it seemed as though the air in his pouch made him 

 shaky and he had trouble in keeping his equilibrium, rolling 

 from side to side and treading water rather aimlessly. 



A female began to grunt, and by the time I could slip around 

 to a point of vantage the male had her in his embrace. I 

 slipped back to cover, and as the pair were only about two 

 yards from the building I could watch them through a crack in 

 the wall. 



In about twenty-five minutes the animals went through some 

 peculiar contortions, indicating that they were in the act of 

 laying the first batch of eggs and I decided that it was time to 

 transfer them to my bucket. Attached to a grass blade was the 

 first emission of eggs, 80 in number, arranged in a double 

 string. While the female was depositing these eggs she grasped 

 the grass-stalk with her fore-feet and drew the male above the 

 surface of the water. Prior to the emission only his head and 

 shoulders were visible. 



The male is very ardent in his attentions, and if forcibly 



