I THE AMPHIBIA IN GENERAL 15 



stone for two years were invariably found to be dead. We 

 should be skeptical, therefore, about accepting stories about 

 toads having been found alive in situations where they must 

 have remained for a much longer time. 



Toads hibernate under rocks, or in cavities in the ground, 

 where they are protected from extreme cold. Often several 

 toads may be found huddled together in one hiding place. 

 Here they lie benumbed and almost stiff, although not actually 

 frozen, until spring. Soon after their emergence from their 

 winter sleep they usually betake themselves to water to 

 deposit their eggs. The breeding period of Bnfo kntiginosus 

 in Massachusetts, according to Kirkland, is in April \ in 

 Ithaca, New York (Gage), 1 from the middle of April to May ; 

 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, I have found this species breeding 

 in the latter part of April. The eggs are embedded in long 

 strings of jelly which are usually found among vegetation 

 near the shore. The males of B. kntiginosus are much 

 smaller than the females. During the breeding season they 

 frequently utter a peculiar shrill sound. After this period, 

 according to Allen, the song changes to " a shorter, lower- 

 toned note that, at night, has a peculiar weirdness, and 

 reaches almost a wail. This note is heard mostly at evening 

 and during the night, though I have occasionally heard it 

 early in the morning and late in the afternoon." 



When toads are handled, and often even when approached, 

 they swell their bodies with air. Slonaker 2 tells of a toad 

 which when approached by a snake would swell up and 

 orient itself with its back toward the enemy. The inflation 

 of the body makes it more difficult to retain hold of the 

 creature, as any one may readily determine. 



There are several species of toads in North America, but 



1 Gage, Proc. Am. Ass. Adv. Sci., Vol. 47, 1898. 



2 Proc. Indiana Ac. Sci., 1900. 



