I go Frogs of the Okefinokee Swamp 



are as much aquatic as terrestrial. The snake which had eaten the cricket- 

 frog was the aquatic southern riband snake (Tham?iophis s. sackeni) and 

 none of the numerous specimens of black or hog-nosed snakes has eaten it, 

 strong negative evidence indicate that it is quite aquatic in nature. No 

 doubt it proves one of the best sources of food for the herons, ibises and 

 cranes." 



In 192 1 we have the following evidence. During a congress of .4cm 

 Apr. 25 in one pond Thamnophis sackeni was on the surface and ever present. 

 On July 27 "on the prairie just north of Black Jack Island (F. Harper) came 

 upon a seven-inch ribbon snake {T. sackeni), which had a grip on the hind 

 leg of an Acris, . . ." 



Other notes are on Apr. 28 we found fishermen who used Acris for "perch" 

 bait. "Some think them better than crawfish." "Others used them for set- 

 line bait." On May 6 we found "a cypress pond where I caught so many 

 Acris earlier. They must have been leaving the pond before. This time there 

 were few of them. The pond was almost dried up. Around little water re- 

 maining, in the center was a mud flat covered with dried and drying 

 aquatic vegetation. Under this mat were young Rana grylio, Acris, etc. 

 A pig was rooting up these frogs." 



"Florida Crackles and a Great Blue Heron were walking around in the 

 little center pool after Elassoma, water insects, frogs and tadpoles." 



Abbott (1882, p. 708) in contrast to cricket frogs' ravenous appetite 

 writes "On the other hand, they were the main food supply of certain fishes, 

 all the snakes, the turtles and a few species of birds. I find that all of our 

 snakes at this time (April and May) were more abundant in the meadows 

 than elsewhere, and have no doubt (been) drawn thither for the purpose of 

 feeding on these little batrachians. Even that lover of high, dry and dusty 

 fields, the hog-nosed snake ( Heterodon platyrhinus) was found to be stationed 

 at intervals along the ditch banks, on the lookout for 'peepers'; the dis- 

 section of one of these snakes proved that it had fed upon these small frogs." 



In 191 7 Hubbs (p. 99) describes in considerable detail an interesting one- 

 legged cricket frog "whether this monstrosity is the result of a mutation or of 

 a very early injury can not be stated." 



AFFINITIES 



LeConte, its describer, called it Raria gryllus. Harlan (1835, pp. 104, 105) 

 repeats his description, holds it erroneously supposed by Daudin to be the 

 young of the Hyla lateralis, and gives its length as "one and one-half inches." 



Harlan further describes (p. 105) another form Rana dorsalis. "Char. — 

 Above fuscous, smooth, with a broad, green or reddish, longitudinal vertebral 

 band, bifurcating anteriorly, and extending over each eye; snout above, pale 

 or whitish; beneath white, throat and inner part of the thighs freckled; a white 

 line on the side of the neck, extending from the eye to the scapula. Length of 

 the body 8/10 of an inch; of the legs i 1/2 inches. This measurement being 

 taken from the largest of seven specimens. In habits Florida, Carolina and 

 New Jersey. May prove a variety of R. gryllus. . . ." 



