256 Frogs of the Okefinokee Swamp 



In 19 1 5 Deckert (p. 4) held that "Although (it was) a powerful leaper, it 

 is easily caught when once located, as it is not at all shy." Pope (1919, p. 96) 

 held "from the frequency of its call this Hyla seems to be fairly abundant 

 (at Houston, Tex.), but its secretive habits and protective coloration make it 

 very hard to find." 



VOICE 



In Daudin (1803, p. 29) we find that this species "croaks without ceasing 

 tchit-tchit-tchit-tchit." J. LeConte (1825, p. 279) records that "They are 

 very noisy, particularly at night, their voice somewhat resembles the sound of 

 a bell." LeConte (1856, p. 428) said it "is commonly known as the bell-frog, 

 its notes resembling the sound of small bells. It is frequently called fried 

 bacon frog, as its voice seems to some ears to repeat these words." Holbrook 

 (1842, Vol. IV, pp. 120, 121) holds "they remain quiet and motionless during 

 the heat of the day, but in the morning or evening, or before a shower, they 

 emerge from their hiding places and become very brisk and noisy. Their 

 noise proceeds from a single note, which, at a little distance, is not unlike the 

 sound of a small bell ; and there seems in general to be one leader of their or- 

 chestra, and when he raises his note, hundreds take it up from all parts of the 

 cornfield, and when he stops, the concert is at an end, until he again begins." 



Harrison Carman (1892, pp. 347, 348) holds "Its note resembles the tone 

 of a cow-bell heard at a distance. Where abundant about water, the frogs are 

 very noisy just after dusk, the chorus being broken, however, by longer and 

 shorter intervals of silence. A single note is first heard, and as if that were a 

 signal, it is taken up and repeated by a dozen noisy throats till the air is 

 resonant with sound. After a time it ceases as suddenly as it began, to be 

 again resumed after a period of quiet." 



In 191 5 Deckert (p. 4) says "Its call sounds like: Grab, grab, grabit, 

 grabit, etc., uttered in a shrill, loud voice, and has a startling resemblance to 

 the human voice. One would never think the call came from a frog." 



In 1919 Pope (pp. 95, 95) "throughout the month of May and into June. . . 

 heard this frog quite often, calling from the trees at all times of day, but most 

 frequently late in the afternoon. The call has been compared to a cow-bell, 

 which it resembles in tone, but the manner of delivery suggests a cuckoo. 

 It usually consists of fifteen or twenty notes given in rather rapid succession, 

 but too distinctly to be called a trill. The cadence becomes slower after the 

 first, and the last few notes are often given with some hesitation. From the 

 frequency of the calls this Hyla seems to be fairly abundant. ..." 



In 19 1 2 when we first made the acquaintance of this form in the Okefinokee 

 we wrote "In the daytime when the weather is sultry or especially in the eve- 

 nings of late May or early June some of their immense choruses are not easily 

 to be forgotten. Sometimes a chorus starts suddenly, quickly reaches its 

 crest and ends abruptly to be resumed later after a shorter or longer sharply 

 defined interval. Along some of the water-courses like Billy's Lake one lone 

 frog nearby will begin, then stop, but ere he has finished, another just ahead 

 of the speeding boat has taken up the task. Thus, the chorus may travel 



