Beptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 325 



Rana palustris, LeC. Pickerel Fuod, Marsh Frog. 



]i((na palmtris, LeC, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N.Y., 1825, L, p. 282.— 

 Dum. et Bibr., Erp. Gen., 1841, VIII., p. 356.— Ilolbr., N. A. 

 Ilerp., 1842, IV., p. 95, pi. 23.— De Kay, Nat. Hist. N. Y., I., 

 ZoiJl. III., Kept, and Amph., 1842, p. (32, pi. 22, fig. 60.— Cope, 

 Check List N. A. Batr. and Kept., 1875.— Boulenger, Cat. 

 Batr. Sal. in Coll. Brit. Mus., 2d ed., 1882, Sal. Ecaudata, p. 

 42.— Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat. Hist, I., 

 No. 5, 1883, p. 24; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883. 



Body about two and a half inches long. Males with no 

 saccular dilations of the skin at the corners of the mouth. 

 Skin smooth above and below, excepting granulated areas on 

 the ventral posterior surfaces of the femora. Head obtuse, dis- 

 tinctly arcuate at the sides when viewed from above or below. 

 Margin of lower lip notched on each side of the symphysis, leav- 

 ing a median knot. Tongue obcordate, with two posterior 

 lobes; free for half its length posteriorly, and also extensively 

 free at the sides. Eye large. Tympanum circular in outline, 

 about two thirds the longitudinal diameter of the eye. Nostril 

 about midway between the eye and the tip of the snout. 

 Palms with a pair of inconspicuous tubercles; soles with a large 

 and a small tubercle each. Margins of webs incurved between 

 the toes, not reaching beyond the penultimate phalanx of the 

 fourth toe. A wide depressed glandular fold extends from the 

 posterior margin of the eye along the sides of the back nearly 

 to the posterior extremity of the body. Another glandular 

 fold extends along the side of the head passing over the angle 

 of the mouth posteriorly and terminating above the axilla. 



Color above pale brown, with four series of large, quad- 

 rangular brown or black spots with pale margins. Under part 

 of the body yellowish white; of the thighs bright yellow. 

 Upper lips with dark irregular spots, forming in some examples 

 an almost continuous stripe. Above this stripe is the yellow 

 glandular fold, and above the anterior portion of the fold is a 

 dark band which includes the nostril and extends to the an- 

 terior border of the eye. Pupil of the eye black; iris golden. 

 Tympanum pale brown with some black at its center. Be- 

 tween the tympanum and the eye is a small triangular black 

 spot. A black or brown bar extends from the postei'ior border 



