vergent, ends connected by transverse series of raised warts, giving 

 the cranial hollow a parapet behind; parotoids, finely spinose; ex- 

 crescences on fingers of male not prominent; interorbital region broad. 



Voice: The vocal sac of male is an oblong "sausage." When de- 

 flated it is made up of folds of skin on the lower throat covered by a 

 conspicuous apron or lapette. The call is very bird-like, not frog-like. 

 It is a very high pitched whistle. The chorus is deafening and can be 

 heard 1/8 mile or more. 



Breeding: They breed from May 15 to August 15. It takes a 

 heavy warm rain to start these little toads to calling vigorously. The 

 eggs are in bars of 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 eggs, and are from 1/1 2-1/4 i ncn 

 (2-7 mm.) long, and 1/20 inch (1.3 mm.) wide. The eggs, black and 

 white, 1/25 inch (1 mm.) in diameter, are laid on the bottom of 

 shallow pools. The small tadpole is grayish with six or seven black 

 saddles on the musculature, and with heavily marked upper tail 

 crest and the venter is one mass of pale purplish vinaceous. They 

 transform July 13 to August 16, at 1/4-5/16 inch (7-8 mm.). 



Notes: June 4, 1921, Billy's Island, Okefinokee Swamp. About 

 2 inches of rain dropped and the island seemed teeming with oak 

 toads. They bred almost everywhere. All about the cleared fields, 

 in piney woods, in hammocks, and numerous other places, we found 

 oak toads that day. On July 3, the species was abroad in great num- 

 bers. Every transient shallow pool filled by the rain had them calling. 

 We took 3 or 4 pairs and 30-40 males in short order. 



On July 27, 1922, in a shallow pond, we heard so many oak toads 

 we looked for eggs. We found single bars of 2-6 or 8 eggs rarely at- 

 tached to sticks at the surface, usually attached to grass blades 0.5- 

 1 or 2 inches below the surface of the water, the water 1-3 inches 

 deep. Other bars were attached to pine needles. Once in a while two 

 bars extended out from a common focus. Normally they were close 

 together. 



May 16, 1 92 1. The oak toad male was calling before we ap- 

 proached. He piped only lowly. . . . His note is surely very bird-like. 

 One will hear three or four calls like a piping chicken. Sometimes the 

 note is repeated three or four times. Then the process is repeated 

 after a very short interval. Once the note was likened to that of a 

 swallow-tailed kite. It is truly the most unfroglike note I ever heard. 

 It is high pitched and sometimes sounds like some animal in distress. 



May 26, 1 921. Billy's Island. In pipewort, sedge and grassy 

 places at 10 a. m. found a female Bufo quercicus. We hear males in the 

 woods. The calls are more lively and insistent. Is B. quercicus going 

 to the ponds soon? We have taken four or five toads this morning. 

 Females are about more since last night's thunderstorm. ... In a 

 burnt-over area it seemed as if more were present. Possibly they are 

 easier to find in this area. We found 3 males and 3 females. The males 

 are not in holes. 



73 



