The eggs are laid in masses attached to sticks and vegetation in 

 lo to 150 mm. of water. The whole frog colony of a pond usually 

 lay together, often in a single warm night, so the egg clusters may 

 be joined together in huge masses. 



During the mating season the wood frog, never very shy, loses 

 most of its timidity and emerges into the open. Its color blends 

 so perfectly with wet, decaying leaves and bark that it is not tak- 

 ing the risk that one might think. When disturbed, the male swims 

 along with his head just above the surface of the water, the female 

 just under the surface. Both conceal themselves among the bottom 

 debris if they are really frightened. 



The tadpoles transform in May or June. 



Food. The adult eats insects. In captivity it will eat mealworm 

 larvae and worms very readily. The tadpoles are carnivorous, nor- 

 mally feeding on decaying animal matter. I feed them crushed 

 snails or bits of chopped and washed raw liver, or dried shrimp in 

 an emergency. Only a small amount is given at a time, to avoid 

 polluting the water. 



The wood frog is an ideal aquarium animal for many reasons. 

 Like most frogs, it has pleasing colors. Unlike most frogs, this 

 species tames readily and has an appetite that does not make im- 

 possible demands upon the mealworm cultures. Furthermore, it 

 appears in early spring when one is usually in dire need of new 

 hquarium material. If collected the first night of the spring chorus, 

 it will breed in the aquarium and supply amateur biologists and 

 biology classes with developing eggs. These eggs can be refrigerated 

 for several days to prevent development, and then, when brought 

 into the classroom, will develop under the eyes of delighted stu- 

 dents. 



If the adult frog is to be kept beyond the breeding season, at 

 least one end of the aquarium should contain dry land, for this 

 frog spends much of the year out of water. 



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