428 Frogs of the Okefinokee Swamp 



EGGS 



Attachment. In 192 1 on April 24, at 9:30 a. m. we found "on the east 

 end of cypress pool in amongst pickerel weed attached to the stems is an area 

 of Rana sphenocephala eggs. Twelve masses, one fresh not yet expanded. 

 The eggs are from yg~2 inches below the surface of the water. Or, on June 6, 

 in another pond egg masses were "in the middle of a pond and around pickerel 

 weeds. Greatest number of egg masses yet. They are all submerged 2-6 

 inches below the surface. They are also around the edges of the pond as well 

 as being attached to other plant stems." On May 24 "Around Long Pond in 

 amongst lizard's tail (Saururus) are several Rana sphenocephala masses 

 hatching." In some of the smaller ponds they are attached to a variety of 

 plants and occasionally are on the bottom unattached. 



In 1922 on June 22 at Camp Pinckney in water-filled pit Nos. 2 and 3 

 found fresh eggs attached to wild rice in the middle of the pits. In the road 

 just before Camp Pinckney found two or three masses, one unattached." Or 

 on July 13 we found them attached entirely to grass blades in a temporary pool. 



Egg mass. In 19 12 in Okefinokee Swamp we found the egg masses of this 

 species in June and July. In 1918 Pope (1919, p. 97) at Houston, Texas, on 

 October 15 "Found three clusters of eggs, probably of this species, in a rain 

 pool in woods road. The clusters had evidently been round and about four 

 inches in diameter, though considerably softened and expanded by the hatch- 

 ing of the tadpoles." 



In 1920, Deckert (192 1, p. 21) on December 6, 1920, at Lemon City, Fla., 

 found "three batches of frog-spawn. The masses were partly afloat and at- 

 tached to weed stems in about 12 to 15 inches of water, milky with disin- 

 tegrated limestone. Securing one of the masses and placing it in a wooden tub 

 in our arbor, the eggs hatched on the 7th, and the tadpoles, though very small 

 as yet, can be positively said to belong to this frog." 



In 192 1 on April 24, 192 1, we found as in 191 2 the "masses are plinthlike, 

 not globular. One mass photographed is i inch thick, 2 inches deep and 5 or 

 6 inches wide. Egg masses look much like those of Rana pipiens.^' In 1922, 

 on July 13 we noted "plenty of masses of eggs submerged. They are plinth 

 masses. The egg envelopes vary in size." 



Egg description. On April 24, 192 1, we made these field measurements of 

 some eggs as follows: vitellus 1.5-1.8 mm., average 1.6 mm.; inner envelope 

 3.2 mm., outer envelope 5.4 mm. Later, Mrs. Wright in laboratory measured 

 these same eggs for illustrations and secured the following results : Of 2 7 eggs 

 the vitelli of two were 1.4 mm., thirteen 1.6 mm., and twelve 1.8 mm., the 

 range 1.4- 1.8 mm., mode 1.6 mm., average 1.7 mm.; of the inner envelopes 

 there were ten 2.4 mm., nine 2.6 mm., six 2.8 mm., one 3.0 mm., the range 

 24-30 mm., mode 2.4 mm., average 2.6 mm.; of the outer envelopes two were 

 3.4 mm., two 3.6 mm., ten 3.8 mm., thirteen 40 mm., range 3.4-4.0 mm., 

 mode 40 mm., average 3.8 mm. A few inner envelopes were irregular or dis- 

 torted in shape and look as if due to shrinkage. In 1922 we made the field 

 notes of vitellus 1.5-1.8 mm., inner envelope 3.2 mm. In 1923 we gave the 



