loo Frogs of the Okefinokee Swamp 



developed, although small, and did not interfere with the animal's natatorial 

 locomotion. The bodies of these young Scaphiopi were short, stout and oval, 

 and, when viewed in the water, deep velvety black; but when closely ex- 

 amined it was found that the two irregularly parallel yellow dorsal stripes, 

 that are so prominent a feature in the coloration of the adult male, were 

 plainly discernible. 



"The movements of these tadpoles were not different from that of the 

 young frogs and toads in this stage of their existence. Those that I had in an 

 aquarium moved in companies as though following a leader, and occasionally 

 one would drop out of the ranks, come quickly to the surface, eject a bubble 

 of air, and dive again quickly to the bottom of the tank. Like all tadpoles 

 they had enormous appetites, and when fed with bits of raw meat quickly 

 attached their sucking mouths to the food offered, and did not remove it, I 

 think, while a particle of blood remained in the mass. 



"A week later, July i6, the majority of these tadpoles had acquired their 

 front legs, and the tail had perceptibly diminished in size, but still was 

 used by them when moving through the water. At this time, however, the 

 movements of the animal are far less active than before or soon after, and for 

 a few days, if exposed to the attacks of any enemies, would suffer far more than 

 at any other period of their lives. 



"A very curious feature in the growth of these animals is now to be 

 noticed. Of the specimens I had under examination, in an aquarium, about 

 five percent did not progress beyond the condition in which all were in July 9. 

 These 'retarded' tadpoles proved to be voracious cannibals. They seized 

 their more matured companions by their tails and legs, swallowing the meni- 

 ber and thus sustaining their own lives at the expense of their fellows. They 

 generally killed their victim in the course of twenty-four hours, and often in 

 less time, and then promptly seized another. So bloodthirsty were these 

 few 'retarded' tadpoles that I was compelled to protect the lives of the 

 little hoppers, their brethren, which now, in spite of stumps of tails, sat in 

 frog-like fashion on their haunches, and were in all respects miniatures of 

 the adult spadefoots that in April and June made night hideous with their 

 unearthly cries." 



Pike (1886, pp. 219, 220) compares Spadefoot tadpoles to toad tadpoles. 

 His account pertinent to this topic is: "The first week I had them was warm 

 and sunny, and in about seven days the first tadpoles appeared, but a gloomy 

 cold spell following, the rest did not hatch out under twelve and even fifteen 

 days. At this stage they look black in the water, but are really black. In 

 about ten days the color broke out into blotches, with little white scattered 

 dots. Certain signs at this time led me to suspect I had found a treasure, 

 and the metamorphosis was watched with renewed interest. Having bred 

 toads, and my cabinet containing a series of these tadpoles of different ages, I 

 soon found a difference between them and my new acquisitions. 



"The toad tadpoles are oval, of a dusky black, with a clear white fin on the 

 tail. The Spadefoots are brown and chubby, the tail narrow and blotched 

 all over. Then they swim differently; the latter with the body depressed, 



