Hylidse 



The middle of April. 

 When pussy willow seed pods 

 are ripemng, Spring Peepers 

 are calling only during the 

 late afternoon and night. 



Once more we try. It is the mid- 

 dle of April. The yellow flowers of the 

 pussy-willows have disappeared. The 

 green ones have developed into cater- 

 pillar-like clusters of green seed-pods. 

 The Peepers are still singing in the 

 marshes, but only during the late after- 

 noon and at night. Let us try an open 

 marsh where there will be light enough 

 for the search. Here is a boggy piece 

 of land that must be pasture in mid- 

 summer. It stretches into meadow on 

 all sides. There is no difficulty in getting 

 to the very centre of it by stepping from 

 one grass hillock to another. We heard 

 the chorus at a distance of many blocks, 

 and it has continued as we approached; 

 but as we step onto our first hillock it 

 becomes quiet all about us; the quiet 

 spreads, and now the whole bog is silent. 

 We penetrate a little farther and then 

 stand still. After what seems a long 

 time, one Peeper calls far to the right. 

 The call is taken up by frogs nearer and 

 nearer, until we are surrounded by sound. 

 This time our search is rewarded. We 

 see one frog. He is so small, that, in- 

 stead of its seeming strange that we had 

 not found them before, we think it a 

 miracle that we have discovered one 

 now. He swims vigorously from a clump 

 of grass to a floating twig, which to him 

 is a log, climbs upon it, and is in full view 

 for a moment; then plunges into the 

 water again, and swims to another clump 

 of grass and leaves almost at our feet. 

 Instantly he begins singing, and although 

 he is partially concealed by a projecting 

 leaf, we can see his swollen throat gleam 

 like a great white bubble under the level 

 142 



