Scaphiopus holbrookii 79 



along until they wished to favor me with a song, and then the accommodating 

 soloist would suddenly assume a perpendicular position as if a plummet had 

 been attached to his tail, his head alone swimming above the water, his white 

 throat dilated till it was three times the size of the head, his mouth closed 

 tight, he would sing his brief song and reassume his horizontal position. The 

 pond was quite deep in the middle, but I secured some specimens to prove my 

 statements on my return home. 



"When I passed the pond again in the afternoon the same programme was 

 being carried out, but I could secure no more specimens. On my return home 

 I put my toad with the one I found Thursday, and in a few moments the male 

 (the last caught) had clasped the female very tightly and I was expecting to 

 raise some tadpoles, but they buried themselves in the earth the next day 

 without laying any eggs. 



"In the afternoon of Tuesday a friend of mine, Mr. W. H. Fox, found the 

 Scaphiopus in a pond out on Prospect street, and secured quite a number of 

 specimens together with some spawn which he thinks belongs to this toad. 



"The next day (Wednesday, April 30th) I visited my pond again with net 

 and pails, but the birds had flown without leaving a sign. Not a toad was to 

 be seen or heard, and no spawn but frog spawn could be found; but they may 

 have dropped it in the deeper water in the middle of the pond, out of my reach 

 and sight. Mr. Fox visited his pond also Wednesday, but could not find a 

 toad except the common one (Bufo americanus) . 



"When I brought my first specimen home she buried herself in the earth, 

 but when I returned from Fair Haven she was swimming around in her tub of 

 water like the rest of them, and when I put the male in they stayed in the 

 water together. Wednesday morning when the toads in the two ponds had 

 disappeared, my pair had also buried themselves again in the earth in their 

 box. So I think I can judge of the movements of the free toads by watching the 

 movements of my captives." 



Pike (1886, pp. 213-215) writes "Many years ago I had several in my garden 

 which became quite tame, and would allow me to take them in my hands. 

 They made circular holes in the ground about six inches deep, somewhat 

 turnip shaped. A few minutes sufficed for them to burrow out of sight. The 

 long feet, with the horny excrescence serving as an additional toe, and the 

 strong curved fingers enable the Spadefoot to make the excavation rapidly. 

 This is not by any means the completion of its home. The inside has to be 

 worked smoothly, and the earth prevented from falling in. 



"This is done by the animal working its body with a circular motion, and 

 the operation would go on for an hour or more, and the liquid exuding from 

 its pores worked into the earth made it smooth, and formed a curious little 

 dwelling when completed. Round the top was a layer of viscious matter, and 

 woe betide any unwary insect that alighted on it. Closely concealed lay 

 Spadefoot, only the bright eyes visible, ever on the watch, and unerring in its 

 aim when any luckless fly intruded on the threshold. They appeared to be 

 greedy feeders, and I often amused myself by giving them insects, which they 

 seized with avidity as long as I supplied them. 



