RANDOM NOTES ON NATURAL HISTORY. 



Providence and further down the bay, also 

 in the southern part of the State, the scrub 

 oak readil}' takes possession of the soil. 

 With it, in some localities, is found the 

 still smaller chinquipin oak, and, with both, 

 oftentimes, the gray birch and pitch pine. 

 I suppose that the only reason wh}' we do 

 not find it as the principal growth in better I 

 soils, is that trees of a larger growth over- 

 run them, keeping them if they survive at 

 all, as an almost unnoticeable undergrowth. 



The general appearance of the scrub oak 

 is very familiar. It is the smallest of the 

 native " biennials," usually- not growing 

 more than eight feet high, but having sev- 

 eral stems from a single root, giving it, 

 where it has a chance to spread, a ver}" 

 bushy appearance. The main stems are of 

 a dark, rich green, beautifully varied with 

 light, pearly dots and patches, the whole 

 being shiny, as though varnished, and often 

 prettil}' adorned with lichens. The young 

 branches are of a light ashen gra3', gradu- 

 al I3' taking the greenish hue of the stem, 

 the extreme ends being velvet}'. The 

 branches are numerous and very scraggj-, 

 well adapting the* shrub to hedging pur- 

 poses, for which it is sometimes used. 



The blossoms appear in May and are 

 very pretty objects. The sterile ones come 

 from the axils of the last 3'ear leaves and 

 hang in jaunty clusters, changing to va- 

 rious colors from orange to red. The fer- 

 tile flowers are in the axils of the new 

 and leaves are nearl}' sessile and inconspic- 

 uous. 



The average typical leaf is about two 

 and one-half inches long, two-thirds as 

 wide on petioles often very short, but some- 

 times three-fourths the length of the leaf. 



The fruit is very abundant and of good 

 size for a shrub. It is often beautifull}' 

 striped longitudinally and set in a neat, 

 closel}' imbricated cup, christening the last 

 year's branches in such profusion they form 

 a striking appearance. The kernel is of a 

 deep orange as is the base of the acorn 

 when it is attached to the cup. The name 

 "bear" oak is due to the fact that bears 

 are fond of the acorns. Swine also feed 

 upon them. 



There is a well marked variety of this 

 oak in the state growing fifteen to twenty 

 feet high and six inches in diameter. 

 (To be continued.) 



Reptiles and Batrachians of Rhode Island. 



BY HERMAN C. BUMPUS. 



Number XVI. 



4. Rana palustris Le Conte. The 

 Marsh or Pickerel Frog is perhaps our most 

 abundant batrachian, being found in nearly 

 every small body of water and not infre- 

 quently taking up its abode in springs and 

 surface drains. 



Le Conte, in giving the original descrip- 

 tion of this animal, applied the specific title 

 of palustris, thus characterizing it as an in- 

 habitant of the salt marshes. Though often 

 found in this locality, and being indeed the 

 only native batrachian which is known to 

 voluntarily take to salt or brackish water, 

 the Marsh Frog is by no means restricted 

 in its distribution, nor is it limited to the 

 coast alone. Specimens have been seen by 

 Dr. Holbrook in the White Mountains 

 while the National Museum contains types 

 from Wisconsin and various localities along 

 the Mississippi as far south as the Mexican 

 Gulf 



Though at first glance the Marsh Frog 

 resembles the following species, the resem- 

 blance is onl}' superficial and it is remark- 

 able that the animal's identity should not 

 have been made out until the description of 

 Le Conte. Not only does Rana palustris 

 differ from Rana halecina in coloring, hav- 

 ing the spots of the back of a rectangular 

 outline, arranged in four rows and of a 

 deep brownish or black shade, but it pre- 

 sents several structural peculiarities. The 

 cuticular folds of the back are less prom- 

 inent and the snout is less pointed. The 

 animal, moreover, is said to have a strong 

 and not altogether pleasing odor. The 

 young are described as being of a yellowish 

 gold color, though I have not noticed that 

 the young differ materially from the adults. 



This frog is most loath to retire on the 

 appx'oach of winter and can often be found 

 after the other Ranidte have retired. I have 

 often, on warm days in winter, seen this 

 species as it made its way over the dead 

 leaves at the bottom of some spring, possi- 

 bly' looking for a warm niche into which it 

 might retire on the return of cold weather. 



Being our most abundant frog and ob- 

 tainable at almost all seasons of the vear, it 



