Rana grijlio 371 



In 191 7 on June 12 two miles from Theodore, Ala., we "heard the croak or 

 grunt (4 or 5 notes) of the southern bullfrog. Hard to find. Lost the first one. 

 They are amongst cat briars. Found a young one and later took a large male. 

 To one member of the party there seems something of the human in its voice. 

 To another it had an alligator quality. Certainly it differed from the northern 

 bullfrog." 



In 1921 we began hearing R. grylio from the very first of our entrance into 

 the swamp. On April 23 we heard the first one and it continued a puzzle for 

 about two days. From April 25 we heard them most commonly from 7 to 

 8:00 p. m. onward. Several also called during the day. From April 30-May r 

 I have the note "No Rana grylios heard." "Too cold for R. grylio calls." 

 From April 23-April 29 our lowest temperatures in early morning (6-7 a. m.) 

 were 62° and our highest 68°. On April 30-May i it was very cold and the 

 early morning temperatures were 45°-52°. From May 1-7, 45°-57° obtained 

 and very few were heard. From May 8-14 a few were heard, low minima 6o°-65° 

 obtaining at night. From May 16 onward there were plenty of R. grylio 

 calling in early evening or wonderful choruses at midnight or in early morning 

 hours before dawn. Minima were from 6-j°--jo° or higher. There after in 

 June and July we heard them commonly at night and occasionally they were 

 abundantly heard in the daytime. In general 45°-65° minima are not condu- 

 cive to calling. From 65° 70° starts calling in numb?r3 and large choruses are 

 from 7o°-85° or higher. Humidity and rainfall are, however, even more im- 

 portant than temperature in determining their activities. 



The records of 192 1 and 1922 combined give the croaking period as April 

 23-September 5. Doubtless had we been in the Okefinokee before and after 

 these dates we would have heard them. 



In 192 1 we have the following notes on the call of the southern bullfrog. 

 On June 25 in mid forenoon "I heard the croak of one frog in the middle of 

 Long Pond. It sounded like the roar of our northern Rana cafesbeiana. 

 Heard several normal Rana grylio at 10:30 a. m." On April 25 we record the 

 call as "two or three grunts of less than a second each. Sometimes there are 

 more." The R. catesbeiana-like call given June 25 was not in abnormal con- 

 ditions but on April 25 we carried several in a bag to our camp. Several times 

 on the way one male uttered a "distress" or "mercy" note not unfike the 

 familiar "jug-o-rum" of Rana catesheiana. On May 11 we went to Billy's 

 Lake at night. Along the lake either side were numerous R. grylio croaking 

 • — just two or three croaks to a male." 



In 1920 (p. 21) the author wrote of the call as follows: "In Southern 

 Alabama he recorded croaking males as not uncommon in overflowed areas 

 and swamps (Plate IX No. 2) of clear streams, especially if overgrown with a 

 thick mat of cat briars (Smilax) and arrow arums. In the main their croakings 

 consist of four or five notes and are wholly unlike the call of the Northern 

 bullfrog. To some people there is something of the human voice in their call; 

 to others it sounds like an alligator. If the ventrilocjuial males be in tangles 

 they are hard to discover. These croaking males may also occur along the 

 deep wooded overflowed banks of southern rivers." 



