I40 Frogs of the Okefinokee Swamp 



would wander about the room in search of food, seizing greedily whatever 

 insect came his way. Some water having been squeezed from a sponge upon 

 his head one hot day in July, he returned the next day to the same spot, and 

 seemed well pleased with the repetition; nor did he fail during the extreme 

 heat of the summer to repair to it frequently, in search of his shower-bath." 

 In 1914 Deckert (No. 9, p. 2) holds "Their habits are in every respect similar 

 to those of Bufo americanus . . ." 



VOICE 



Holbrook (1842, Vol. V, p. 9) is the first who calls attention to its voice 

 ''The males at this season are extremely noisy, though at other times they are 

 silent, or make only a sHght chirp when taken. Like many of the Hyla tribe, 

 they have a large sac under the throat, which is distended when the animal 

 croaks." 



In 1908 H. A. Allard in discussing Bufo jowleri in Northern Georgia 

 (Gwinett & Jackson Counties) refers to the voice of Biijo lentiginosus thus: 

 "In this region throughout March I heard the occasional prolonged trills of 

 the so-considered common toad {Bufo lentiginosus). By the first of April 

 these notes had become quite silenced, and the distinct chorus of congrega- 

 tions of Fowler's toads had begun. I first noticed these toads singing on the 

 evening of March 26, although I think the first singers had appeared some- 

 what earher. It was interesting to note that the voice of Fowler's toads were 

 never heard with the appearance of cool, chilly nights, although the trilling 

 of the common toad continued. Throughout the early spring, this contrast 

 in the occurrence of the two notes, with respect to temperature changes was 

 very marked." (Science, 1908, n. s. 28, p. 655). 



H. Garman (1890, p. 189) says that "The note of this variety is a singular 

 squawk which it is hardly possible to represent in words." Possibly the form 

 he had might have been B. foivleri. Deckert (1914, No. 9, p. 2) writes "the 

 call of the male cannot be distinguished from that of the Northern species." 

 In 192 1 he (Deckert) writes "this, the common Southern toad, was heard in 

 May, June, July, August and September, its trilhng call coming from rain- 

 ditches in hammocks, pineland and from roadsides." 



In 192 1 we made these random notes on the first congress: April 24. The 

 note sounds more like our droning Bufo americanus, not Uke the scream of 

 Bufo fowleri. They are different .... Trill from 7 to 9 seconds in length, 

 shorter than Bufo americanus possibly. 



When we entered the swamp April 22 the toads were well advanced in 

 their breeding period and less and less did they call in the day time unless a 

 heavy rain or downpour came. Like the meadow frogs they called more and 

 more in the evening and later and later in the evening as the season advanced. 



The calling toads in cypress ponds and bays may be perched on a log, 

 on a cypress knee or stub or stump at the base of a cypress tree or gum tree, 

 on the moss, resting on aquatic plant stems, leaves, dead twigs usually in 

 shallow water or on the edge of a pond. In overflow pools it may be anywhere 



