8o Frogs of the Okefinokee Swamp 



"This I find is the usual summer residence of the Spadefoot, and when 

 once domiciled, it rarely leaves home in the day-time. No two ever inhabit 

 the same hole, hence the name Hermit Spadefoot, or solitarius. 



''When sharp summer rains fell they would quit their houses and seek 

 shelter under plants, but would not return to the holes they had left. As soon 

 as it was fine, about sunset or in the night, new houses were constructed with 

 great rapidity. In the fall, very heavy rains set in and one by one my pets 

 disappeared, generally in the night, and though I searched diligently for 

 them I could not find their hibernaculum, and presume they burrowed away 

 under the fence. 



"Thirty-five years ago I exhibited one of these habitations, which was 

 made in a box sunk in my garden, with the animal in it, and read notes on it 

 which were published in the Proceedings of the Brooklyn Natural History 

 Society. 



"The Scaphiopus changes much in color at various seasons. I have taken 

 this animal late in the fall when it might easily have passed by as only a dingy 

 young toad, but for the curious eyes which will always identify the Spade- 

 foot, no matter what its dress The irides are mottled gold and brown, and 

 are divided into four parts bj^ a notch at each quarter, giving a lozenge shape 

 to the large black pupil. 



"Quite late in November, I dug one up from about a foot below the sur- 

 face of the earth, which was covered with decayed leaves. The head was 

 smooth dark brown, and the whole body a dingy dark olive, with faint lines 

 running from the eyes along the back, converging to a point at the rump. 

 Every part of the animal was tubercled, even to the eyelids, and the parotid 

 glands were greatly swollen. When first taken there was an orange tint over 

 the thighs and hands, but this soon faded in confinement. 



"The little fellow took kindly to its imprisonment, grew very tame, and 

 looked quite comfortable in its large glass jar half filled with damp moss. 

 Sometimes when the moss seemed too wet I put in a lot quite dry. The cunn- 

 ing animal would look at it, toad-like, with its head on one side, and take in 

 the situation at once. It set to work and in a few minutes made a pretty little 

 arbor, quite thick behind but so thin in front that it could see through the 

 moss. It never appeared quite torpid, but only sound asleep at times, and 

 would wake up quickly if disturbed. A favorite position of my Spadefoot 

 was to crouch down flat with the hands turned in under the chin, the feet 

 turned up, and the long toes resting on the elbows. 



"In April I took it out and found it as fat as when its winter rest began, 

 although it had not tasted any kind of food for over six months. * During this 

 long quiescence its coat had changed. The centre of the back was a bright 

 sandy color with a large dark irregular star edged with black. The whole 

 back and legs were heavily tubercled with a vivid red, chin white, abdomen 

 and inside of thighs a reddish purple." 



* "In autumn the Scaphiopus feed voraciously and become very fat, and this seems to 

 keep them in good condition till spring again brings forth their insect food." 



