212 Frogs of the Okefinokee Swamp 



approaching close enough to secure specimens. The species is the rarest of 

 the riparian frogs in the region that I visited and its extreme agiUty and pro- 

 tective coloration make it the hardest, by far, to catch." 



In 191 2 we have these notes of this species in Okefinokee Swamp. "These 

 forms were taken generally in rather moist situations. One of the special 

 places was a narrow marshy crossway between two islands with associated 

 killifishes and young Centrarchidae. On May 28, 191 2, at the end of the 

 lumber railroad and near Mixon's Ferry we found some Chorophilus hopping 

 about in the vegetation with oak toads as associates. On May 10 on Honey 

 Island Prairie, a different sort of place, there were some small frogs which we 

 considered Chorophilus but of them we made no collections. The bulk of 

 the specimens were secured in some small ponds on Billy's Island or in the 

 damp dark localities among the heath cover." 



On May 16, 1921, ''picked up Pseudacris ocularis in the grass, in amongst 

 pipewort (Eriocaulon)." The next day on Billy's Island we went out to 

 Crosby Pond. In the grass, sedge and Eriocaulon cover, also some heaths, 

 took Pseudacris ocularis.'^ The following day, May 18, "at 4:40 p.m. went 

 to Crosby Pond. Pseudacris ocularis may start up from sphagnum edge of 

 Cypress Pond where sphagnum is no more than an inch above solid ground 

 and in the piney wood's side outside the gum border of a pond. May start 

 this form up from the ground. It will leap i-i 1/2 feet at times. Laid on 

 Eriocaulon, small Sarracenia minor, sedge and saw palmettos. Took a dozen 

 of them." On June 8 "we went to Siren Run which is getting very dry. In 

 one moist place amongst pipe worts {Eriocaulon) found a few Pseudacris 

 ocularis. ^^ 



On June 25 we found them common in one pond "Many in bamboo 

 (Smilax) vines, on bushes some 4-5 feet up. Others on level of water. All 

 the way from open pond through fringe of gum trees to the outer edge of the 

 pond, in amongst fallen pine tops, in amongst trash, where water is shallow 

 and covered with drift particles, etc." 



On July 15, 192 1, on a trip to Chesser Island we found them abundant on 

 the outer edges of cypress ponds outside the swamp, on the outer edge of the 

 marginal cypress bay. Most of them we "caught in the grass near the edge 

 of ponds." 



In 1922 we found them from Trader's Hill to Chesser Island in similar 

 habitats to those of 192 1, e.g., on June 17 "in grassy and sedgy area we found 

 several on the edge of pine barrens on outer edge of cypress bay or branch and 

 also one mile south of Canal near swamp's edge." 



FIRST APPEARANCE 



At the very first of our 19 12 trip we found them (May 28). In 192 1 we 

 entered the swamp the last week in April, one month earlier than above. At 

 once the boys brought in 3 frogs (April 24) and they were females, which 

 implies the species was well out. No doubt resident naturialists will find earlier 

 dates of appearance for this species as for all frogs of the Okefinokee. The 

 earliest record I can find is Deckert's (192 1, p. 22) note for Miami region. 



