Rauo nesopus 339 



it will start off with unexpected dash, travel a short distance and stop as 

 abruptly as its start was sudden. Several times I tried laying a female on 

 her back. Motionless she would lie. Then I would tickle the belly and she 

 would draw up her head and hind feet with the hind toes extended. Then I 

 would draw the head to within i to i 1/4 inches of the under side of the femur, 

 place the creature on its haunches. A ludicrous sight it was from the side or 

 front. After a minute or so of such posture, when we were in the midst of our 

 laughter, this inert idol would rapidly right itself and quickly scurry off with 

 short rapid hops. Indeed in the sandy saw palmetto oak ridges and pine 

 barrens coloration is its best asset if away from its burrow, its poisonous 

 secretions doubtless helpful and its quick dashes deceiving to the startled eye. 



VOICE 



This was heard positively on the evening of July 17, 192 1 and August 17, 

 1922, In the former instance about a dozen began croaking in a cypress pond 

 on Chesser Island before darkness came on. The fact that they did not begin 

 on the former day after a hard rain makes me believe these to be stragglers 

 in breeding, possibly tardy on this island. Later in the afternoon when 

 they began one of the residents called it "the monster." At first while 

 wading in the deeper water of the pond in the early evening we would hear 

 this mysterious note in amongst the cypress trees usually at their base or 

 on logs. The frog would espy us first and all we could determine was a 

 big splash doubtless made by a large frog. Finally we heard one in shallow 

 water in a tussock of sedge 2 feet across and i foot high and another near 

 the base of a cypress in deep water. By waiting for some time two of the 

 residents located them. They were truly R. aesopus. After two hours 

 work on Hyla gratiosa we sought out a group of gopher frogs we were hear- 

 ing in the shallower western portion of the pond. One was beside a cypress 

 tree in a depression of fibrous roots. After we had focussed on it it literally 

 crawled around to a different position near by. I put the light on its nose 

 and tried to push it back with my fingers. Then it leaped. At the base 

 of a pine on a pile of chips i 1/2 feet above the surface was another croaker. 

 After a time (i.e., after it had had light on its face a short period) it would 

 "bat" its eyes toward the buUseye. AVe secured two flashlight photographs of 

 it. Another male was in fibrous roots at the base of a black gum tree. A 

 fourth was at the base of a "Cassenya" (also "spice bush" pond spice (Mala- 

 poena geniculata) . Another was under a log where a tussock of sedge was over- 

 hanging. These frogs were not hard to catch when discovered but they were 

 shy. Often when first put under the light they would sink back in the fibrous 

 roots, depressions and covers. One (the croaker, PI. XXXIV, 2) was spread out 

 in the water among the spice bushes. The influence of nearby croakers seemed 

 to stimulate this one as it does others. We caught several, put them in a bag, 

 induced these to croak, and in this way our sprawled-out specimen responded 

 beautifully with his croaks. To induce the captives to croak we would swing 

 the bag round and round or rub them through the cloth or occasionally press 

 and hold in hand a male just ahead of the hind legs. We were sure we ought 



