Scaphiopus holhrookii 75 



monly distributed form in these parts." We found several people who knew 

 about ''storm toads" or "storm frogs." 



Then on Aug. 16-17, 1922, near Hilliard, Florida, we camped beside a spade- 

 foot congress in open cut -over pine-barrens, flooded because of an immense 

 rain just preceding. 



GENERAL APPEARANCE 



This phase has aroused as much interest as any topic treated by authors- 

 Its discoverer. Dr. Holbrook, (1842, Vol. IV, pp. 109-111) records "This 

 singular animal approaches nearly to the toad in form." "This is a strange 

 animal — an odd mixture of toad and frog, having the teeth of one, and the 

 rudimental post-tympanal glands of the other ; it approaches, however, nearest 

 the toad in its form and habits, . . . ." "The skin is very delicate, and though 

 warty or granulated after exposure, when first taken from its hole the Scaphio- 

 pus presents the etiolated appearance of a real subterranean animal." "Char- 

 acters. Back olive coloured and somewhat warty, with two lines of pale yellow 

 extending from the orbits to the vent, beneath yellowish white." 



Harlan (1835, pp. 105, 106) says "This new species, first figured and des- 

 scribed by Dr. Holbrook, (vide his valuable work on North American Rep- 

 tilia) possesses very peculiar characters, displaying, in its external configura- 

 tion, a strange mixture of the toad and frog. It has the contracted form of the 

 first, with small typmanum, and rudimentary super-tympanal warts, without 

 visible pores, and small warts disseminated over the back of the head ; possess- 

 ing palatine teeth and serrated maxillae, like the frogs, and like the Rana 

 cultripes of Cuv. is remarkable in .possessing a rudiment of the sixth finger, 

 covered by a sharp horny plate, . . . ." 



DeKay (1842, p. 66) gives as its "Characteristics. Ash grey, with two 

 yellow curved lines from the eyes, dilated and subsequently united at the vent. 

 Length two inches." 



C. S. Brimley (1907, p. 157) gives upper jaw with teeth. Paratoids 

 present. Hind feet webbed. Heel with a flat sharp edged spur" as enough to 

 distinguish the Solitary Spadefoot. He uses the same characters in his re- 

 vised key (1926, p. 80), 



MEASUREMENTS 

 (Recent Material) 

 //ead to angle of mouth 1.33 (28 mm.)— 1.36 (44 mm. ? ) — 1.35 (56 mm.cj^) — 

 1.27 (56 mm. 9 ) — 1.27 (68mm.c/') — 1.33 (68 mm. 9 ) in width of head; head to 

 rear of tympanum 1.09 — i.ii — 1.19 — 1.09 — 1.07 — 1.12 in width of head ; head 

 to angle of mouth 3.1 — 2.99 — 3.02 — 3.1 — 3.09 — 3.24 in length of body; head to 

 rear of tympanum 2 .54 — 2 .6^2 .66 — 2.66 — 2.66 — 2.61 — 2 . 7 2 in length of body ; 

 snout — .54 — .58 — .71 — .60 — .66 — .70 in first finger; snout .54 — .62 — .57 — .56 

 — .58 — .64 in fourth finger; snout .36 — .29 — .47 — .40— .37 — .34 in first toe; 

 eye 1.1—1.41— 1.5— 1.33— 1.5— 1.43 in snout; eye .4— .66— .71— .73— .81— 

 .75 in tympanum; eye .6 — .825 — 1.06 — .80 — i.o — i.oinfirst finger; tympanum 

 5-5 — 4-0 — 4-2 — 3.4 — 3-4 — 4-0 in intertympanic width; tympanum 2.75 — 2.25 

 — 2.1 — 1.8 — 1.84 — 1.75 in snout; internasal width 1.16 — 1.25 — i.o — i.o — 1.8 



