^?/^'" 



PREFACE 



THE original manuscript for this book concerned Toads and 

 Frogs of Northeastern North America only. It was 

 compiled largely from notes made during a period of 

 some ten years in Minnesota, Michigan, Tennessee, New Ham- 

 shire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It was written with 

 the direct aim of making these forms known and appreciated by 

 people interested in nature. 



Brief accounts of the species of other parts of North America 

 were added later. These descriptions and the photographs 

 accompanying them were made from living material shipped from 

 various parts of the continent. This collection of material is in 

 the American Museum of Natural History, New York, with the 

 exception of specimens of Colour Plates XI and XVI which are 

 in the National Museum at Washington. 



The Colour Plates were made from photographs from life, 

 some of the plates representing eight or ten negatives. They 

 were coloured from living material by Mr. Herbert L. Guild of 

 Providence working under the supervision of the author Owing 

 to the careful work of Mr. Guild on the originals and to the efforts 

 of the Publishers to obtain accurate reproductions, these plates 

 are unusually true to life. Of course, in many cases, the colour 

 represented may be only one phase in a complex and changing 

 colouration. 



Twelve black and white plates showing typical haunts of 

 common toads and frogs are from photographs by Mr. W. A. 

 Dean, Artist Photographer of Providence. Various line drawings 

 introduced to indicate food or enemies or to act as a calendar, 

 were made by Miss Alma Field of Providence. With few ex- 

 ceptions the subjects for these line drawings were taken from 

 photogiaphs from life by the author. 



Sincere gratitude is especially due to three people: Dr. J. 

 Percy Moore of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 



