Rural School Leaflet io8 v $ 



THE PEEPER 



(hyla pickeringii) 



A. A. Allen 



Peepers 



Throughout the country and suburban districts, perhaps no sound of 

 nature attracts more general notice than the early spring chorus of the 

 Peepers. Hundreds of shrill voices demand our attention and cry out 

 that spring has come. Every ditch and every pool resounds. True, the 

 majority of persons have never seen a Peeper and would not recognize it if 

 they did, but the calls of the Peeper can never be forgotten. 



Nor is it a wonder that most persons live in ignorance of the author of 

 the wonderful notes. Hidden away amongst the vegetation at the edge 

 of the pond, even though his throat be swollen until it is many times 

 larger than his head, he is practically invisible. As long as we remain 

 disinterested, he and his fellows make the air quiver. But let us approach 

 and immediately they are silent and no amount of searching will find 

 them. All have buried themselves in the mud, and the deafening 

 chorus gives way to silence. Patient watching may reward us, how- 

 ever, so that finally, after what seems an endless wait, one small voice 

 starts up from the farthest corner of the pond. Weak at first, but gaining 

 in strength as one by one he is joined by his brothers in other parts of 

 the pond, it is not long before the air again reverberates. At first we 

 may be confused by the great number of voices, but soon we single out a 



