148 

 REPORT OF THE ZOOLOGICAL BRANCH. 



To the Council of the Ottaioa Field- NaturaU^ts Ciiih : 



In making a report on what was done last year in this branch, 

 the ditficult question presents itself, what is left to zoology outside of 

 the branches of it which have already rei)orted on their sections of animal 

 life, viz., the ornithological, conchological and entomological, seeing 

 that tlie field of enquiry and discovery has been well worked by the 

 leaders of those branches. As, ho^vever, zoology covers all animal life, 

 the leaders of this branch consider that it embraces any fact in the 

 animal kingdom woilhy of notice not as yet reported during the past year. 

 No regular snbexcursions of the Club in this branch were held, but a 

 number of interesting facts were noted by vai-ious members, and the 

 following brief observations are now submitted as likely to prove of 

 local iaterest. 



Mr. Scott, who paitially took up the study of the randice or 

 frogs, mentions four species as coming und^r his notice, viz., the 

 Leopard Frog (/)'. halecina, Kalm), both green and brown skin, with 

 large distinct spots (the green being the true edible frog), and the Bull- 

 frog [R. catesbiana), both abundant; the Pickerel Frog] {R. palustris, 

 LeConte), vvhich he found only in Patterson's Creek, and the Wood 

 Frog {R. te7vpora7-ia, LeConte,) vnv. si/lvaiica, tolerably common. The 

 last is a small species, with a heav^^ dark brown line on each side of 

 the head, and varying considerably in colour. JNIr. Scott has experi. 

 mentrid with a pair taken by him on the 9th Novembei-, since which 

 date he has kopt them in his i-oom in a vessel with about half an inch 

 of water, renewed daily. Although not becoming tori»id, owing prol^ 

 ably to the artificial warmth, yet they refused food of all kinds abso- 

 lutely, and this circumstance evinces the fact of the ranidce being able 

 to sustain life for long periods without food. 



The duration of the hibernation of frogs depends materially on 

 climatic conditions of the seasons. A Leopard frog is reported to us as 

 found above ground on the 7th November, and a mass of frog spawn 

 was noticed on the 20th April, showing that the depositors of it Jiad 

 already been at work. The 23rd or 24th April is usually the date on 

 wliich frogs arc first heard in this vicinity, h\]t local causes may so, 



