is glistening white on the forward part and yellow or orange on the 

 under side of the legs, in the groin and extending forward along the 

 sides of the belly, and on the under side of forearms. The legs are 

 barred with dark bands. 



Structure: Thumb much enlarged in breeding males; vocal sacs 

 of males small lateral swellings between the tympanum and the arm; 

 the skin has strong acrid secretion, irritating to the mouth of the dog 

 who tries to eat one. It will kill other frogs put in the same jar of 

 water. 



Voice: It has a low pitched grating croak with little carrying 

 power, shorter and higher than Rana pipiens, and more prolonged and 

 lower than Rana sylvatica. These males frequently croak beneath the 

 surface of the water, while in the embrace. 



Breeding: They breed from April 23 to May 15. They gather in 

 large numbers, and often in a small area 6 feet square or less, one 

 finds 12-15 pickerel-frogs mating pr pairs laying. The brown and 

 bright yellow eggs are submerged attached to twigs or grass stems, 

 form a firm globular mass 3 1/2-4 inches (87-100 mm.) in diameter, 

 and number 2,000-3,000. The egg is 1/16 inch (1.6 mm.) in diameter, 

 envelopes 1/9 inch (2.8 mm.) and 1/6 inch (4 mm.), a little smaller 

 than those of Rana pipiens. The tadpole is large, 3 inches (75.8 mm.), 

 greenish in color, the body and tail covered with fine black dots, the 

 tail crests black or very clouded, and the belly cream. The tooth 

 ridges are 2/3, 1/3. After a tadpole period of 70-80 days, they trans- 

 form in August at 3/4-1 1/12 inches (19-27 mm.). 



Notes: Bool's, Ithaca, N. Y. April 28, 1911. When I approached 

 the Rana palustris egg area, there were within an area of 3 feet square, 

 5 mated pairs and 21 unmated males. Of the mated pairs, the males 

 were much lighter than the females. A female will back up to a stem 

 and clasp it with hind legs; then change position or back to another 

 stem. Sometimes this will be a stem with one to three or four egg 

 masses on it already. . . . Already in this area were 8 egg masses. 



"This frog is most loath to retire on the approach of winter and 

 can often be found after the other Ranidae have retired. I have often, 

 on warm days in winter, seen this species as it made its way over the 

 dead leaves at the bottom of some spring, possibly looking for a warm 

 niche into which it might retire on the return of cold weather. 



"Being our most abundant frog and obtainable at almost all 

 seasons of the year, it has come into good repute with the freshwater 

 angler, and is often, as a whole or in parts, used as a bait for the 

 omnivorous pickerel." — (H. C. Bumpus, 1886, pp. 7-8). 



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