i8o Frogs of the Okefinokee Swamp 



strewn singly on the bottom. In one or two instances three or four eggs were 

 close together. Many of the eggs were in water not more than an inch in 

 depth. Eggs of Acris hard. Found no more than ten eggs." 



In 1921 our first record of eggs came the morning of May 15. "A general 

 rainy morning. At 6:00 a. m. the mated pair of Acris hadn't laid. At 8:00 

 there were 74 eggs singly laid. At 8:00 the pair were still mated. At 9:00 

 when we returned the pair was broken. The eggs all rested on the bottom of 

 the jar." On the afternoon of the same day "the female of my drinking cup 

 (male of which leaped out) placed with the three males but she did not lay 

 single eggs nor was she mated. Nevertheless she laid. Her eggs are in a 

 single mass on the side of the small bottle in which she was and just above 

 the water's level." Later the same day we wrote of the first complement 

 thus: "There are two or three eggs fastened to the stick on its under side. The 

 eggs are scattered all over the bottom of the jar." 



Our field notes on eggs follow: Some Acris gryllus eggs were measured in 

 the field under adverse circumstances May 16, 1921, "One vitellus was i.o 

 mm.; outer envelope 3.8 mm. Another had vitellus, i. o mm., inner en- 

 velope 1.8 mm. and outer envelope 4.0 mm." On May 27, we remark that 

 eggs laid May 26-27 have "vitellus, i.o mm.; outer envelope 2.8-3.0 mm.; no 

 inner envelope; egg vitellus creamish white; animal pole deep brown. Must 

 be something wrong with measurements I made on the eggs of May 16." 



On June 25, 192 1 after a pair had laid eggs we examined the eggs in camp 

 and made notes that the "vitelli were .9 mm., envelope 3.6-3.2 mm., upper 

 pole 'brownish,' as we have used the term before in egg description (really 

 nearer buffy olive), lower pole white. Envelope loose, full of trash on outer 

 edge. Hard to determine where there are two envelopes." 



On July 17, 192 1, we for a period mistook singly laid eggs from the bottom 

 of a pond for Acris eggs. They proved those of Hyla gratiosa which lays 

 single eggs. 



In 1922 on July 3 we artificially secured some eggs from a mated female 

 which died. Her egg complement was 241 eggs. The eggs taken from the 

 ovary took up water and the jelly envelope looked as if laid naturally. One 

 jelly envelope appeared at first but later it very definitely became apparent 

 that in these ovarian eggs there was a .9 mm. vitellus, an inner envelope 

 1. 6-1. 8 mm., and a 2.6-2.8 mm. outer envelope." 



In Feb. 1923 (p. 34) we merely alluded to Acris gryllus eggs as "single 

 submerged eggs." Laboratory measurements made by Mrs. Wright and 

 myself yielded: eggs with vitelli .9-1.0 mm., average .98, mode 1.0 mm. and 

 envelopes 2.4-3.6 mm., average 2.8 mm., mode 3.0 mm. In one egg an inner 

 envelope seemed to be present and it was 1.8 mm. in diameter. In 1924 

 (p. 378) we summarized it thus: "Eggs deposited singly. Envelope single. 

 No inner envelope or appearance as such, envelope firm, definite in outline 

 2.4 to 3.6 mm.; vitellus 0.9 to 1.0 mm. Egg complement 241." We are 

 mindful of two difficulties, one the possibility of egg complement possibly 

 being laid in a mass occasionally and also of the discovery that an inner 

 envelope maj^ eventually become the rule rather than the exception. 



