154 



NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



TRANSFORMATION OF THE POND FROG AND THE COMMON TOAD. 



White the adults of both species are of much the same size, there is an enormous difference in the 



size of the young, perfectly developed animals as they leave the water. The frog 



requires two warm seasons to complete its transformation; the toad 



transforms within three months. 



a heavy sail-cloth bag. Swinging the net heavily through the 

 long grass a miscellaneous lot of insects is gathered. Among 

 these are grasshoppers, small beetles, spiders, and the larvse of 

 various butterflies and moths. For very delicate species of toads, 

 frogs, and salamanders many soft-bodied caterpillars are obtained 

 by taking an umbrella, holding it under the bushes and the low 

 branches of trees, then beating the latter vigorously with a heavy 

 stick. In winter our toads and frogs subsist largely upon meal- 

 worms. 



Among the five species of frogs found locally, one — the Leopard 

 Frog (Ro)ia paliistris) — exudes such an irritating secretion from 

 the pores of the skin that few snakes w'ill eat it. To the more 

 greedy reptiles, which will devour them, the penalty is a much- 

 inflamed mouth and throat. The Leopard Frog abounds in areas 

 infested with frog-eating snakes, while the other species of Rana 

 are decidedly thinned out. The poisonous secretion is intensely 



