FROGS. 43 



Fishes. — Fish which are almost wholly restricted to the same 

 habitat as frogs mighrbe considered the most serious foe of the 

 early aquatic stages of the frogs and toads. It is very doubtful, 

 however, if theirdepredations compare with those of the aquatic 

 snakes. In the quiet waters where tadpoles frequently resort the 

 worst depredators are the members of the pike family. From the 

 lunge down to the little grass pike is a series of forms which revel in 

 frogs and their tadpoles. Equalh- appreciative of small frogs and 

 tadpoles are basses, but some of the larger, like the smallmouthed 

 bass, are not abundant in the habitat of frogs. Forms of the quiet 

 water, like the largemouthed bass and sometimes the rock bass and 

 others of similar habits and of equally large maws, feed on them. 

 The omnivorous catfishes sometimes eat tlie young tadpoles, the 

 growing frogs and the trouts especially do. The horned dace and 

 some of the larger voracious mmnows occasionally eat the newly 

 hatched larvae of frogs. 



Amphibians. — The aquatic salamanders, like the newt, frequently 

 pull off eggs from a frog's egg mass for food. The larger forms, like 

 the mudpuppy (Xecturus) and hellbender (Cryptobranchus), may 

 eat frog's eggs or larvae if favorably situated. Amon^ frogs there 

 are several species whose adults do not stop at fratriciile or can- 

 nibalism. In fact, it is one of the factors which has led some frog 

 culturists to abandon bullfrogs, which will feed on anything from 

 insects to small alligators, not even sparing their own progeny. 



Reptiles. — In this group we find some of the most inveterate 

 and merciless foes of frogs. In the southern States an archenemy 

 is the alligator. Among the turtles the snapping turtles lie in wait 

 for frogs and their tadpoles, while the more alert and active soft- 

 shelled turtles may at times pursue them. The equally vicious 

 musk turtle also is a foe of the frog. The spotted an(l painted 

 turtles and some of the other "sliders" or so-called terrapins are 

 said to feed on tadpoles, but of this the writer has no fii-st-hand 

 evidence. 



The snakes, both aquatic and semiaauatic, are the worst pests 

 the frog has to meet. Among the cold-blooded vertebrates there 

 is no more relentless preying of one thing upon another than the 

 persistent huntin": b}^ day or, better, by night of a ribbon snake or 

 water snake ft»r frogs. In fact, fnjgs arc, par excellence, the food 

 of the aquatic snakes. Several of the semiaquatic garters eat or 

 prefer true frogs, cricket and swamp cricket frogs. The very 

 aquatic water snakes (Tropidonotus) of several species, are the worst 

 offenders and at times feed exclusively on frogs. The rainbow and 

 red-bellied (Farancia) snakes also feed on frogs or their tadpoles. 

 On the land the spreading adder is the main enemy. The black 

 snake and garter snakes are quite partial to them, and the pilot 

 snake, copperhead, or ground rattlesnake do not scorn them. 



Birds.— Whoever plans to raise frogs must beware of several 

 of our largest and most distinctive forms of birds. The herons 

 and bitterns are the most serious frog eaters. Their long legs and 

 toes e(juip them for wading, and tlieir long necks and bills are adapted 

 either for a silent waiting game or a slow, stalking search. They 

 frcfpient the shallows where the tadpoles and transforming frogs are 

 abundant. The great blue heron, the little green heron, the little 

 blue heron, and some of the less familiar forms of the South wait 



