5(52 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.xxxv. 



Xo. 1, 7 ants, 2 beetles, 1 myriapod, 1 mosquito; No. 2, 6 beetles, 10 

 mosquitoes, 1 fly ; Xo. 3, 5 beetles, 4 mosquitoes, 1 snail. I have known 

 them to eat tree-frogs, both //. versicolor and //. pickeringi. Diges- 

 tion must be very slow, as the stomach of a frog which had been kept 

 in captivity without a chance to secure food for forty-eight hours con- 

 tained incompletely digested remains of a beetle and of a small frog. 



The color and markings of specimens taken here vary greatly. A 

 large breeding male is quite dusky all over the dorsal surface, but 

 there are no distinct spots; dark bars of the legs indefinite. Another, 

 also a breeding male, has numerous, fairly distinct, black spots all 

 over the back; irregular bars run down on the sides, and the legs are 

 marked with definite bars and spots Another has dorsal spots 

 equally definite, but smaller and less numerous. I noticed that green 

 frogs taken from a pond in the woods in which the water was filled 

 with decaying leaves appeared much darker than those taken from 

 near-by fields, and immersion in alcohol for several weeks did not 

 entirely remove the difference. 



Width of head, 27 mm. ; length of head, 30 ; snout to vent, 79 ; vent 

 to heel, 72 ; vent to tip of longest toe, 120. 



RANA CATESBEIANA Shaw. 

 BULL FROG. 



Common about the larger ponds and several times seen in the caves, 

 on one occasion at least half a mile from the entrance. High water 

 carried a large bullfrog out of the lower end of the Shawnee Cave 

 in midwinter. 



In spite of the reputation of its voice, the cry of this frog is less 

 noticeable than that of any other species about here. Its note is low- 

 pitched and musical, carrying for a long distance, but not sounding 

 loud. It was not heard before the middle of May nor after the middle 

 of July. In the early summer these frogs were frequently seen float- 

 ing on the water with their large eyes just above the surface. At such 

 limes they are not easily disturbed, and a stone or a shot may strike 

 the water quite near them without causing them to sink. At night 

 they are more wary and are secured less easily than some of the other 

 species. Their cries always cease on the approach of a noise, and 

 they will jump into the water at the slightest disturbance. 



REPTILES. 



The numerous thickets are well suited for hiding places for snakes, 

 and they are abundant, both in number of species and individuals. 

 On one occasion, in a walk of about a mile, eight trails were seen in 

 the dust where snakes had crossed the road since the passing of the 

 last vehicle, certainly less than half an hour earlier. 



