63 



*' The Peeping Frog has been hitherto considered by Herpe- 

 tologists as the Hijla squirella, and a description and account of 

 it to this effect have been given in the last Report on Massachusetts 

 Reptiles. My friend Dr. D. S. C. H. Smith, of Providence, R. I., 

 lately showed me the true Peeping Frog, which has been vocal 

 until a week since, so that there can be no doubt of the charac- 

 ter of the animal. It differs widely from the H. squirella.^' It 

 proves to be the Hylodes Pickeringii. Mr Burnett doubted the 

 existeace of the H. squirella among us. His paper continued : 

 " There is something quite curious in the coloration of this ani- 

 mal, which it possesses in common with others of the same order, 

 consisting in a constant, apparently volitional change of hue. It 

 immediately assumes that of the object on which it rests, be it stone, 

 wood or leaf; and I have noticed it pass in a few minutes, from 

 fright, through all the tints, from a pea-green to the lightest wood 

 color. The habits of this little animal do not differ materially 

 from those of the genus Hyla. The peeping sound is produced 

 by both sexes. In summer they cease to be vocal, and retreat 

 from the pools, where the eggs are deposited, to the woods, 

 where they live, hopping about on the boughs of the trees, feed- 

 ing upon insects, and occasionally making a shrill whistling 

 noise. Having by autumn become quite fat, they leave the 

 woods and pass the winter at the bottom of pools, or in the mud 

 in their vicinity." Mr. Burnett exhibited colored drawings of 

 the animal taken at different seasons. 



Dr. Cabot announced that the following ornithological 

 specimens had been recently received by the Society, viz., 

 Cypselus pelasgius, Chimney Swallow, presented by Mr. 

 F. Gassett ; Ardea nydicorax, Night Heron, young, pre- 

 sented by Mr. W. Minot Jr. ; Tringa rufescens, Buff- 

 breasted Sandpiper, presented by himself. He also pre- 

 sented specimens of gold ore from the Cabarras mine, 

 in the name of Mr. T. G. Cary, Jr. 



Specimens of Coal containing vegetable Fossils ; Fossil 

 shells from the Catskill mountains, and a Turritella were 

 presented in the name of Daniel P. Curtis, Esq. The thanks 

 of the Society were voted for the donation. 



Prof. Wyman presented specimens of Fossil fish from 

 Beyroot. 



