Hyla gratiosa 297 



HABITAT 



In 1856 John LeConte (1856, p. 146) in his description writes of his three 

 specimens as follows: "One of them was taken in the water of a pine barren 

 pond, another was found in a cavity of a sand pit, and the third upon a tree in 

 the forest." In 1922 H. P. Loding (p. 19) makes an interesting note about its 

 great abundance. "Thus, the largest of our tree frogs seemed to be very rare 

 previous to the hurricane of July, 1916, up to which time in all our collecting 

 only two adults and two very young specimens were taken; but suddenly 

 during August of that year the species became very common, in fact could be 

 seen by the thousands in the Satsuma orange orchards throughout Mobile 

 County. Since then it has gradually become scarcer and at present is not seen 

 very often." 



We do not know whether its non-ovulation habitat be primarily the pine 

 woods, the hammocks, the fringe of cypress ponds on the edge of cypress 

 bays. In each habitat we have records of "barking frogs." 



FIRST APPEARANCE 



In 1856, John LeConte, (p. 146) writes: "During the last spring, whilst I 

 was residing in the lower country of Georgia, it was my good fortune to meet 

 with three specimens of the animal described below." Deckert (1915, p. 5) 

 records them in March. T. Van Hyning (1923, p. 68) writes that "On the 

 night of March 18, while some of the boys of the biological class of the Univer- 

 sity of Florida, Gainesville, Fla., were collecting frogs, among other species 

 taken, were thirty specimens of the Florida Tree Frog Hijla gratiosa LeConte ..." 



GENERAL HABITS 



Deckert (19 15, p. 4) writes that ^' Hyla gratiosa LeConte, the Florida tree 

 toad, is a handsome species, and the largest of the North American tree toads, 

 reaching a length of 3I inches from snout to vent. It is heavily built, with 

 large adhesive disks on fingers and toes. It differs from all other species in its 

 evenly granulated skin, and regular pattern of roundish spots. The color 

 is ashen-gray, purplish or green of some shade. The spots are darker than the 

 ground color, evenly distributed over the open surfaces, and may be absent 

 when the frog changes to pale golden green. The arms and legs are banded. 

 The throat of the male is rich chrome yellow or green." 



Dickerson (1906, pp. 125, 126) studied this frog carefully in captivity. 

 She observes that: "The Florida Tree Frog has colour changes as marvellous 

 as those possessed by most of the Hylas. It may be plain bright green and re- 

 main so for months, in fact, one in this phase of colouration was kept for over 

 two years and during this time there was no tendency to become spotted or 

 to turn brown. Also, the brown-spotted phase may likewise endure for months 

 without change. On the other hand, the changes may be very rapid indeed. 

 The tendency for rapid colour change, here as elsewhere among the Hylidae, 

 seems to be at its height when the animals are well-fed, and in the season of 

 greatest activity, that is, in the spring and summer months. At this time the 



