176 Frogs of the Okefinokee Swamp 



at the surface. Tried to catch them with both hands and failed. Later 

 found another pair; when the electric flashlight went out they leaped away. 

 They can leap two feet or more when mated. Finally caught the pair. Put 

 them in a sack. This in a jar with hole plugged .... We took the pair of 

 Acris out of butter jar and put them in a porcelain jar for two flashlight 

 photographs. Later transferred them to photo jar without their breaking 

 embrace." 



On May 23, 192 1, at a bayou of Billy's Lake we observed the odd behavior 

 of two croaking males. Our journal note with no poHshing is thus: "At 

 noon along the edge under shade of some bushes was a small series of grass 

 blades 5 inches high. A pair of Acris males, one directly behind the other 

 about 3-2 inches. Each croaking male revealed his yellow throat very 

 plainly in day time. Then it leaped on to the other. Then it leaped to one 

 side and they were more or less back to back. At first I thought a mated pair 

 must be in the water back of them because of water commotion, but it was 

 each male stretching one leg out as far as he could behind. Then the 

 second male attempted to embrace the other but merely leaped on to it. 

 This process kept up for the 20 minutes we remained. Once one male crawled 

 up the grass. The other followed. Once on a leaf-blade one could fairly see 

 the leg stretched back. So also at other times. At times the leg would remain 

 thus stretched out for some time, "frozen" so to speak. When another male 

 not far away began croaking both croaked at same time. The process of play, 

 by stretching, leaping on to each other or about each other was common to 

 both of them." 



On May 26, 192 1, with air temperature 94° in partial shade 4:00 p. m. 

 we found "gravid females in the pine barrens. About the ponds were no end of 

 Acris calling. Saw two mated pairs. One at the base of a black gum on wet 

 dead leaves at the edge of the pond and one pair on top of a grassy mat 

 where many males were. Every mat had a male or two perched on it. The 

 pair captured broke. At midnight they were not remated." On the next 

 day. May 27, we have "The Acris pair of last night apparently have resumed 

 mating since I caught them. The female has laid a few eggs." 



At Southern Bullfrog Pond on the evening of June 3 "we found two mated 

 pairs of Acris. Lost one. At Chorophilus Pond, the same evening were 

 mainly Acris. Captured a pair there." 



In 1922 we found a mated pair July 2 at Starling Branch crossing, between 

 8 : 30 p. m. and 1 2 midnight. "In a grassy overflow with Bufo terrestris and Hyla 

 femoralis were plenty of Acris. Finally at 10:00 p. m. found a pair at the 

 edge of the pond. Photographed them. Brought the pair to camp in a small 

 bottle. They were caught in the bottle. The female and male broke. Stop- 

 per made it too confmed and the female died." 



Our experience at Dinwiddle, Va., June i, 191 7, may be apropos. "Toads, 

 tree toads and bullfrogs around. ... At the first ford about 6 miles be- 

 yond Dinwiddle, Va., near the road found several files of Fowler toad's eggs. 

 . . . Found a mass of bullfrog eggs. . . . (tree toad eggs in another pond) . 



