appeared from view. 



The Hermit Spadefoot is not well known. It 

 burrows in the ground and sleeps days or weeks 

 at a time. A gravedigger once found one 3 ft. 4 

 inches from the surface of the ground, with no evi- 

 dence of entrance to or exit from the burrow. The 

 Spadefoot is seldom found in gardens or orchards; 

 but it is certainly true that if a Spadefoot Toad 

 were turned out of its burrow by the plow, the cas- 

 ual observer would not give it a second glance, be- 

 cause it looks so much like an ordinary dingy 

 brown toad, unless one sees its eyes". 



The Spadefoot, besides being solitary, is entire- 

 ly nocturnal in habit. 



In the breeding season, the Spadefoots are far 

 from inconspicuous. They congregate by the hun- 

 dreds in ponds in the spring for the purpose of de- 

 positing eggs, and during this time they make the 

 night hideous with their raucuous cries. 



BUFONIDAE (Family) Bufo (Genus) 



24. Bufo americanus Holbrook. 

 AMERICAN TOAD. 



This is the common toad of the region east of 

 the Rocky Mountains from Mexico to Great Bear 

 Lake. It shares the Southern States with Bufo 

 terrestriSy and New York and New England^ with 

 Bufo fowleri. This species sometime^^rfgns death 

 when frightened. C oW^^^oa^-^V^U^ 



25. Bufo punctatus Baird and Girard. 

 SPOTTED TOAD. 



This handsome species is a denizen of the 



