Rana heckschen' 387 



GENERAL HABITS 



Two journal notes of 1928 (June 8) reveal some of its habits and its habitat. 



"June 8 . . . This afternoon went to type locality of Rana heckscheri. . . . 

 Went along in pickerel weed {Pontederia) on the east side of the bridge (Dixie 

 Highway) where it is shady. 5 p.m. Finally saw a large frog. Slowly ap- 

 proached from water side with net in right hand and came close enough to 

 catch the frog with the left hand. Started skirting several edges. Soon saw 

 another on the bank amongst pickerel weeds. Crawled towards it on my 

 hands and knees and caught it. It squealed as do some greenfrogs, bullfrogs 

 or southern bullfrogs when caught. The children went along and startled 

 another which gave a startled note of the Rana catesbeiana type. Another 

 big frog amongst pickerel weed on land and not at water's edge. It leaped 

 along and into the water before I could capture it. Some three or four lost, 

 partially because six children trailed along in their anxiety to help. . . . Mrs. 

 Wright thinks it a different frog. These two frogs we captured are larger 

 than the three we secured in 1922. They are bigger than any greenfrog. They 

 have no costal folds. Saw no intermediate sizes." 



"June 8. . . Went out tonight to the type locality of Rana heckschen. 

 Saw a female near the edge of Pontederia bank. Later heard a big frog jump 

 in. When I approached that area, found a male, a arge one on the bank, 

 amongst vegetation and not at water's edge. Saw and took another female. 

 Later in going down a little run where we frightened a Rana heckschen, 

 heard a male Rana clamitans. Then the boys called me for a large frog they 

 saw. It proved a female Rana grylio. Went back after the male R. clamitans. 

 Just before I reached it, in the water resting on a submerged log was a fine 

 male Rana heckschen. In the shade of trees on the bank was the croaking 

 male green frog. Small for Rana clamitaris but it croaks. It is different from 

 Rana heckschen, so also is the Rana grylio female I caught here. This Rana 

 heckscheri is not Rana catesbeiana though we have not caught the latter here." 



This species is not so dextrous as some of its related species. Some of the 

 boys reported "lots of them. We catch them by hook and with sticks." 



VOICE 



The discovery of the adults came in this fashion. On August 18, 1922, we 

 visited Alligator Swamp at Callahan, Florida, because of some curious large 

 tadpoles we saw there one month earlier. "Mrs. Wright discovered a queer 

 looking green frog as she supposed and as she was calling to us we were startled 

 by a call unlike any other Rana we ever had heard. To one it was a snore, to 

 another a snort, and to others neither. The queer green frog and the author 

 of the call proved of the same species and not green frogs of which we captured 

 some for comparison." 



Mr. F. Harper, while traveling down the St. Mary's River in August, 1921, 

 "heard a number of times, in addition to the regular snoring call, a peculiar 

 explosive snarhng grunt." Then he associated the call with Rana aesopm 

 but now he believes it this species. He heard it from August 10 or i i-i 7 early 



