The Spring Peeper 



Structure: Head pointed, sharply angled along the lines 

 from nostrils to eyes. The muzzle extends beyond the upper lip. 

 The ear is visible, but is smaller than the eye. The disks on fingers 

 and toes are prominent. The feet are only moderately webbed. 



Range: Eastern North America. It has been reported from 

 the following states: Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massa- 

 chusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, 

 Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Illinois, and 

 Michigan. It is reported also from Canada (New Brunswick to 

 Manitoba). 



There are few people in the eastern United States who do not 

 know the voices of the Spring Peepers, although they may only 

 guess who these singers may be. If they recognize the singers as 

 frogs, they are likely to judge from the size of the voices that the 

 frogs are large, and sometimes they are loath to accept the state- 

 ment that Peeping Frogs are tiny things an inch or less long. 

 (Fig. 171). 



We expect pussy-willows to usher in the spring. We listen 

 for the kong-quer-ree of the red-winged blackbird. We do not 

 have to look or listen to know that the Peepers have spring in 

 their hearts. The chorus of voices greets us when we leave our 

 suburban car. We drive from one suburb to another and scarcely 

 leave one singing company behind us before the voices of a second 

 greet us in front. We go by rail from city to city, and from the 

 marshy regions along the track their voices sound above the roar 

 and rattle of the train. 



The call comes from low marshy ground in the open, or from 

 pools and marshy land in the woods; from water wholly exposed 

 to the sun's rays, or from the depths of dark forest swamps. It 

 can be heard with distinctness at least a quarter of a mile away. 

 As we approach, it sometimes reminds us of a loud jangle of musi- 

 cal sleigh-bells. It is somewhat difficult to isolate a single voice 

 from the chorus. If we do so, we find that it is high pitched, loud, 

 penetrating, and usually not trilled. Occasionally an especially 

 enthusiastic call is strongly trilled. It is not exactly a whistle, 

 nor is it flute-like; but it is more like the thin, sweet sound from a 

 pipe. Each prolonged call seems to be made up of two tones, 

 the first lower and sliding into the second. The first is pitched 



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