110 Trans. Acad. Sci. of St. Louis. 



ground color, dependent on a number of circumstances, but there Is 

 always a whitish spot beneath the eye. Young specimens taken on 

 the leaves of plants are green, with few or no dark marks. 



Size. — Head and body 50 mm.; from tip of snout to axilla 17 mm.; 

 femur 2.5 mm.; tibia 25 mm.; tarsus and fourth toe together 32 mm. 



Habitat. — Common throughout the state, as well as 

 through the whole eastern and northern United States. 

 Missouri localities : — St. Louis, Jefferson, Shannon, But- 

 ler, Oregon, Ozark, Stone, Jasper, Jackson, Johnson, 

 Lewis, Pike, Warren, Randolph, Montgomery, and St. 

 Charles Counties. 



Habits. — The Chamaeleon Tree Frog is the tree frog 

 par excellence in this state. It is common, and in some 

 places abundant. Its voice is a loud, coarse, resonant 

 trill, uttered with a uniform pitch, and continued for two 

 or three seconds. It is heard about bodies of water in 

 spring, when the sexes are depositing and fertilizing the 

 eggs. Later in the season it proceeds from fences, hedge- 

 rows and orchards, as well as from the forest. They 

 are especially noisy towards evening after a rain; but 

 they may be heard at any time during dark and drizzly 

 days. It readily takes the color of the object on which it 

 rests, thus concealing itself successfully. Its colors vary 

 from a deep brown to gray, and nearly white to bright 

 green. The change of color is not rapidly accomplished. 

 The favorite color is gray, which is identical with that of 

 the lichens of the trees which it inhabits. (Cope.) 



Dates of capture. — Apr. 8, 18 ; May 29 ; Oct. 15 ; Nov. 7. 

 Family Scaphiopodidae. 



Vertebrae procoelian; no costal elements or coccygeal diapophyses; 

 diapophyses of ninth vertebra much dilated, thin, and triangular; uro- 

 style without condyloid articulation, its axial portion restricting that 

 of the sacrum and connate with it; extei-nal metatarsi bound; distal 

 phalanges continuous, simple. Manubrium cartilaginous. Tongue 

 rounded, nearly entire. 



The small number of species embraced in this family are of stout 

 toad-like habit, and furnished with a shovel-like development of the 

 cuniform bone and a coriaceous posterior digital palmation, to aid 



