Rana damitans 



357 



In 1922 the day we most commonly heard them was July 10 when some 

 of the maxima was 88°-93*' and minima 68°-7i° for nearby stations. On 

 August 31 they were calling on the prairies, temperatures maxima 88°-9i°, 

 minima 63 "-64°. The last date we have is September 5 but they doubtless 

 call much later in the season. 



The late June or early July choruses came mainly at night, but often ex- 

 tended far into or throughout the day as well. Occasionally one will hear them 

 at mid afternoon, mid day and mid afternoon before chorus stage is reached. 

 Our record for September 5, 1922, is a mid afternoon call. F. Harper char- 

 acterizes the call as follows: ". . . its twanging bass note is heard at consider- 

 able and probably irregular intervals, of, say half a minute or more. Ordinarily 

 a single clung or cHung is given; but sometimes there is a rather rapid series 

 of several notes: chmg-clung-clung-dung or c'tung.'' The note is not loud 

 nor has it far reaching carrying effect. The male rests on a mat of vegetation 

 at the surface or amongst grass, or aquatic plants or freely sprawled out on 

 the water. Usually the hind quarters are slightly submerged. It is extremely 

 difficult to secure a good flashlight of its throat when slightly inflated. In the 

 first place it does not swell out its throat as far as in Rana grylio, and its call 

 is usually one note of very short duration. Furthermore when under observa- 

 tion long intervals often elapse between croaks. All in all it is one of the more 

 difficult frogs to catch at the full inflation of the throat. Three different 

 evenings we tried for flashlights and none show the fully swelled out throat. 



MATING 



Male (From life, June 21, 1921). Top of head from snout to between 

 nostrils, over upper lids along back to the vent sudan brown to brussels 

 brown or cinnamon brown to Prouts brown or snuff brown to bister. Top 

 of fore hmbs and hind limbs and sides same but less intense. Side of snout 

 under eye cosse green to light bice green. Same color on back end of upper 

 eyelid. Spot under tympanum to shoulder insertion, spot over shoulder 

 insertion, ring in middle of tympanum with dark center, throat and spots on 

 lower jaw bright chalcedony yellow. The throat reticulated or spotted black 

 and bright chalcedony yellow. Rim of lower and upper jaw black, the former 

 with three or four spots on each side. Tympanum same color as back with 

 some black, then bright chalcedony yellow ring, finally dark center. Under 

 parts white with black reticulation or deep brownish drab on under parts of 

 hind legs. Some bright chalcedony yellow on front and inner side of fore limb. 

 Fore limb with a black stripe continuous from lower jaw to arm insertion on 

 to the fore arm. Fore arm with rear edge and palm of hand black. Back of 

 thighs deep brownish drab, black and color of the back. 



Iris ring around pupil lemon yellow or part of it light cadmium or orange. 

 Iris background black but so covered with orange or cadmium yellow spots 

 as to obscure most of the black. 



Female (From life, July 5, 1921). Top of head slightly lighter than back, 

 near Prouts brown; rest of back and back of tympanum mummy brown or 

 darker. Or it may be head olive brown and the rest of dorsum clove brown. 



