Hyla graiiosa 299 



near the cultivated fields of Billy's Island, and heard a curious ionk, tonk, like 

 some one pounding on a hollow, heavy barrel or hogshead. The call was 

 woody, deep. At first it reminded me more of a frog (Rana) than a tree frog 

 (Hyla). It seemed at first somewhat like the call of Rana clamitans only too 

 many times separated and actually the resemblance is only fleeting and shght. 

 Later we found other croakers. One was on the raised ridge of land beside a 

 corn stalk. It was green with the spots usually figured. Another cf^ was 

 lying flat in the water at the edge of a weedy ridge. It was absolutely flat and 

 spread out. It was without the spots and uniform duU, brownish-green like 

 the color of the water. Another was in a furrow between two rows of corn. 

 It was spotted and alert. First one rested on ground more or less horizontally; 

 the second in water horizontally, and the third more or less diagonally upright. 

 The call can be heard at a long distance." Usually the heels are widely 

 separated at croaking and the lower part of the body dips somewhat. 



On July 3, 1 92 1, on Billy's island "after a great downpour of rain at 8:00 

 p.m. heard a cf Hyla graiiosa calling over in the Hammock. Decided to go 

 out. Found another male near camp in temporary pool. No end of Hyla 

 femorah's, Hyla cinerea, Gastrophryne, Bufo terrestris and Chorophulis ocularis 

 calling. Found a Hyla gratiosa cafling but I went past it. When I returned it 

 had moved 10-15 feet away from its first position. It was of a greenish cast 

 of olive in color. 



"Found a male H. gratiosa beside a grassy bank. He was as big and round 

 as the top of a Mason jar. How his throat would puff out. Was an easy 

 subject to move into good position. Used either a big stick or flashlight or 

 other means." 



F. Harper makes these journal notes on this subject. "56 calls in a minute 

 quite regularly spaced. Then 59 to a minute not absolutely regularly spaced. 

 Then 55 to a minute. Even between calls, keeps body puffed out. Inflation 

 of body and throat in calling, alternate as in Hyla cinerea. There is a perceptible 

 pause between each note in cafling, the throat meanwhile remaining at one 

 quarter its full inflation. The inflation and deflation are accomplished very 

 rapidly, making it quite a trick to catch a good inflation with the flashlight. 

 The throat remains at about this quarter inflation during a considerable 

 pause in calUng. Very brownish at night." 



On July 15, 192 1, on Chesser Island we heard of "Coat Bet" frogs. The 

 first day we thought they must be Rana virgatipes but the following evening 

 we found them to be Hyla gratiosa. The people on Billy's Island have no 

 common name for them. On Chesser Island they are called Coat Bet be- 

 cause that is the way it sounded to the Chessers. They said the "Coat Bet" 

 caU was produced by one frog calling right after another. 



On July 3, 1922, in a temporary pool "1/2 mile west of Trader's Hill, Ga., 

 heard 4 or 5 Hyla gratiosa. Some would stop calling when we approached 

 and if we came too near they ducked under water and swam away. Finally 

 we captured two. One looked green and one brown." 



In conversation with Mr. P. A. Chesser he spoke of "Coat Bets" as follows 

 (July 15, 192 1). "Sometimes in rainy weather we hear these around the 



