158 Frogs of the Okefinokee Swamp 



In 1922 we took it from Folkston to Jacksonville, Fla., from Folkston to 

 Chesser Island, Okefinokee Swamp, at Camp Cornelia, Starling Branch, St 

 Mary's River at many points and universally in the region surveyed. On the 

 trip from Ithaca, N. Y. to Okefinokee Swamp June 3-14, 1922, we first heard 

 Acris near Dyke Marsh, near New Alexandria, Va., and 12 miles north of 

 Petersburg, Va., on June 7. Near Cheraw, S. C, June 8, we heard them at 

 the same lake around which we heard Hyla andersoni and Rana virgatipes. 

 At Mabee, June 9, Acris was calling at noon. On June 10 at night camp near 

 Millen, Ga., they were calling and thus onward to Chesser Island, Okefinokee 

 Swamp. 



GENERAL APPEARANCE 



Its original description (LeConte, 1825, p. 282) is "Rana gryllus (Savanna 

 Cricket), above warty, colour various, with a triangular spot of darker on the 

 top of the head between the eyes, and a paler line extending from the apex of 

 this spot to the vent, hind part of the thighs yellowish or whitish, with one or 

 two lines of dusky or brown." 



Holbrook (1842, p. 131) gave its outstanding characters as "Head elon- 

 gated, pointed, a triangular dusky spot between the orbits; body above 

 cinerous with a green or sometimes red, vertebral line, and three oblong black 

 spots, margined with white on the sides. Length 18 lines." The same year 

 DeKa}^ (1842, Part III, p. 70) gives the same characterization. O. P. Hay, 

 1892, calls its "Form frog-like," and W. P. Hay, (June 20, 1902, p. 128) so 

 considers the form. To H. Garman (1892, pp. 341, 342) this frog is "small." 

 This is a rather coarsely built frog, bearing a close resemblance in build to the 

 Ranidae." 



Morse (1902, p. 118) speaks of the crepitans form as "olive brown, with an 

 inverted 'Y'-shaped green area; the median part of the 'Y' extends along the 

 vertebral line, the forking taking place on the rump. Brown triangle between 

 eyes. Sides marked with three oblong blotches. White line from eye to 

 shoulder . . . Inner surfaces of thighs immaculate. Length i 1/3 inch." 



Or M. M. Ellis (1913, p. 58) characterizes it thus: "Head depressed and 

 pointed, its length about 3 in the head and body; length of the hind leg to 

 the heel reaching forward to the snout or beyond ; male with a gular sac, size 

 small, length under 1.5 inches." 



COLORATION OF SPIRIT SPECIMENS (191 2) 

 On the back the color may be grey, light brown, reddish brown, chestnut 

 or almost black. Rarely green individuals were observed, but in general the 

 browns predominated. The specimens taken on the open outskirts of the 

 swamp were greyer while those from the interior of the swamp had shades of 

 deep brown. All of the specimens over 17 mm. had the prominent black tri- 

 angular patch between the eyes while almost all of those below 17 mm. to 

 transformation size had no bars or marks at all on the upper surface which is a 

 uniform light brown. The triangular interorbital mark has its apex pointed 

 backward and is bordered by a lighter border which is continued along the 



