67 



This frog is exceedingly active, aud is capable of making leaps of 8 to 

 10 feet. They frequent ponds and streams, but they also leave these and 

 travel to considerable distances in the search of suitable food. When 

 thus traveling about they are much exposed to the attacks of snakes. 

 Their intense green color must serve them well as a means of concealment 

 from their enemies. Like other frogs they pass the winter buried in the 

 mud at the bottoms of ponds and streams. 



Rana palustris, LeConte. 



Swamp Frog. 



Bana palustris, LeConte, 1825, 62, i, 282 ; Holbrook, 1842, 54, iv, 95, 

 pi. 23 ; Boulenger, 1882, 27, 42 ; Cope, 1889, 51, 406, with figures. 



This species is very closely related to Rana pipieiu, and especially re- 

 sembles the variety bracJujcephala The head is relatively longer than in 

 the variety last named, being contained in the length of head and body 

 3 times. The snout is usually obtuse, although not always so. Vomerine 

 teeth in two nearly transverse patches between the choanje. The tym- 

 panum is about two-thirds the diameter of the eye. The males have no 

 external vocal vesicles, although Boulenger says that they have internal 

 vesicles. The glandular folds of the back are especially well developed, 

 being unusually broad. Of these the dorso-lateral are most conspicuous. 

 They begin at the upper eyelid and run back to the hinder end of the 

 body. Nearer the middle line and just behind the eyes two other folds 

 begin, but appear to die out near the pelvic hump. Their places are there 

 taken by two folds which lie close to the urostyle. All these folds are 

 breader than in specimens of Rana pipiens. Above the tympanum-the 

 dorso4ateral fold gives off a branch which curves down behind the tym- 

 panum and meets another fold starting at the mouth and terminating at 

 the shoulder. 



The hind leg contains the length of the body 1.66 times. When the leg 

 is pressed to the side the heel reaches the snout, or somewhat less. The 

 web is deeply scalloped, and on the fourth toe leaves three phalanges free. 

 The tubercles of the palm and of the sole are greatly developed. 



The ground color is a pale brown or ashy above ; below, yellowish 

 white. Nearly the whole of the upper surface is covered with squarish 

 spots of dark brown. The dorso-lateral folds are of the ground color. 

 Within these there are two quite regular rows of the quadrate spots ; the 

 interspaces of these are much narrower than the diameter of the spots. 

 Sometimes two or more of these spots coalesce so as to make a band. 

 There is a spot on the snout and another on each eyelid. Outside of the 

 dorso-lateral folds on each side is a row of spots like those of the back, 

 but somewhat smaller. Lower down on the side is still another row of 

 smaller and more irregular spots. On the upper jaw is a white streak 



