152 Frogs of the Okefinokee Swamp 



were just outlined. All the accessions from 17 mm. onward had the parotoid 

 in different degrees of distinctness. From 11 to 22 mm. no tympana appear. 

 At 23 or 24 mm, the anterior half begins to appear as distinct but individuals 

 appear up to 24.5 mm. with no tympana. Some there are which do not have 

 it distinct until they reach 27.5-28 mm. To 21-23 mm. no cranial crests 

 appear but occasionally in this range crests are just outlined posteriorly. 

 From 23 to 24 mm. and onward the crests may appear as a groove or first 

 apparent posteriorly or as a fine row of tubercles. Occasionally a toad to 

 28 or 29 mm. may not have the crests outlined. At 34 or 35-37 mm. the 

 crests are beginning to thicken at their rear ends. 



FOOD 



Catesby makes the following notes "The Land Frog. The Back and 

 Upper part of this frog is gray, and thick spotted with dark brown spots; the 

 Belly dusky white, and faintly spotted: The Irides of the eyes red. They vary 

 somewhat in Colour, some being more gray, others inclining to brown. Their 

 Bodies are large, resembhng more a Toad than a Frog, yet they do not crawl 

 as Toads do, but leap; they are seen most in wet weather, yet are very fre- 

 quent in the higher lands, and appear in the hottest time of the Day: They 

 feed on Insects, particularly of one kind, which the following Accident seems 

 to confirm. As I was sitting in a sultry evening, with some company without 

 Doors, one of us let fall from a Pipe of Tobacco some light burning ashes, 

 which was immediately catched up and swallowed by a Frog of this kind. 

 This put us upon tempting him with a red hot Wood Coal, not less than the 

 End of one's Finger, which he also swallowed greedily; thus afterwards I 

 always found one or other of them easily deceived in this manner, as I imagine, 

 be taking it to be a Cicindela, or Fire-Fly, which on hot nights are very 

 numerous in Virginia and Carolina, where also these Frogs abound. — Catesby. 

 Vol. II, p. 69. 



Shaw (1802, p. 173) writes "This animal is common in Carolina and Vir- 

 ginia, feeding, like most others of this genus, on insects, and is said to be 

 particularly attracted by any luminous insects, as fire-flies, glow-worms, 

 etc., and will even seize and swallow a small, live wood coal of the size of the 

 end of the finger; mistaking it for some luminous insect, and seeming to re- 

 ceive no immediate injury in consequence." Harlan (1825, p. 345) has it 

 "preying on living insects only." In 1842, Holbrook (Vol. V, p. 9) says "It 

 feeds on various insects which it seizes only while alive and in motion." 



ENEMIES 



In 19 1 2 these notes were made: The southern toad has a merciless set of 

 foes. The hog-nosed snake prefers them to all other diets and one snake may 

 have as many as two or three full grown toads in its stomach at one time. The 

 black snakes and garter snakes also are very partial to toads. In all instances 

 the head is swallowed first, and it is interesting to see how prominently the 

 head crests of B. terrestris stand out and how resistant they are to digestive 

 processes when the other forward parts of the body are well digested. 



