Acris gryllus 189 



In June, 1896, C. S. Brimley (p. 501) makes the "cricket frog abundant, 

 active all the year round except in the severest weather." Ruthven, Thomp- 

 son & Thompson (1912, p. 46) finds "This species hibernates during the cold 

 weather but soon becomes active again during warm periods." In Colorado 

 M. M. Ellis and J. Henderon (1913) find it until Oct. 26. In Virginia, Nelson 

 County, Dunn (1916, p. 22) finds one Nov. 26. Brimley has taken it at Bay 

 St. Louis on Dec. 4 and at Raleigh on Dec. 12. 



In 1913 and 1914 the Cornell party of Dec. 22, 1913-Jan. i, 1914, found 

 this species active and took several specimens. Doubtless this species is 

 more or less active throughout the year in the Okefinokee Swamp. 



FOOD 



Holbrook (1842, Vol. IV, p. 132) gives this note: "It feeds on various 

 kinds of insects, and makes immense leaps to secure its prey, or to escape its 

 pursuers. It can easily be domesticated, and takes its food readily from the 

 hand; I have kept several for months in a glass globe on a few sprigs of 

 purslain {Portulacca olemcea), feeding them occasionally with flies." 



Abbott (1882, p. 708) finds that "They fed ravenously at this time (breed- 

 ing season) and even when confined in very cramped quarters, would devour 

 any flies that came within reach." Later (p. 710) he states that "My im- 

 pression is, that they do not require or partake of any food during their brief 

 existence as matured 'peepers' in autumn (i.e., from completion of growth of 

 their limbs in September to the commencement of their hibernation). My 

 reason for this is based upon the fact that the specimens in a bottle, to which 

 I referred, were placed in confinement on the 20th of October, 1881, and the 

 date of writing, Jan. 29, 1882, a period of one hundred days has just elapsed. 

 During this time these 'peepers' have had no food, have been quite as active 

 as their limited quarters would permit, and yet have not lost weight to any 

 important extent. One which I weighed on the day following its capture 

 weighed forty-four grains and seventy-five days later had lost but one grain 

 in weight. It is very different in spring; then they are voracious feeders and 

 capture millions of minute insects. At this time their stomachs are always 

 full; and while the size of the animal is not larger than in autumn, the weight 

 is nearly twice as great." 



To believe that they feed not from transformation to autumnal disap- 

 pearance is foreign to the facts. 



H. Garman (1892, p. 342) gives some definite items. "Its food consists of 

 insects, and if the habits of the frogs led them more frequently into cultivated 

 grounds they would doubtless do good service to agriculture in destroying 

 aphides. Among other insects, Chlorops, crane flies, Thyeocoris, Calocoris 

 rapidus, numerous pupae and wingless female Aphididae and Orthoptera 

 have been determined from the contents of their stomachs." 



ENEMIES 



On 19 1 2 specimens and collections we made the following observations: 

 "It appears from stomach examinations that the enemies of Acris gryllus 



