2 University of Michigan 



land that borders a moderate-sized stream. Partly in and 

 partly outside of the woods lies a small, irregular pond, 

 roughly 300 feet by 30 feet, with low grasses, sedges, and 

 mosses at its edges, and numerous grassy and shrubby clumps 

 forming little islets out from shore. Duckweed, crossed by 

 numerous muskrat swimways, almost entirely covers its sur- 

 face, beneath which may be seen a plentiful aquatic vegeta- 

 tion with sphagnum in places abundant. At the first step 

 from shore one sinks knee-deep or more in a vile-smelling 

 muck of decayed leaves and aquatic vegetation. Good-sized 

 oaks nearby admit only an intermittent light during most of 

 the day. Here wood frogs, green frogs, cricket frogs, and 

 newts are abundant. And here in the rhizoids and roots of 

 moss and grass the eggs of Hemidactyliiim scti-tatuin were 

 first found this spring on May 13. About eight bunches of 

 eggs were discovered on this date with larvae bearing gills 

 and fore limbs as buds or only slightly developed, represent- 

 ing Bishop's figures 2 and 3, plate 7. vSubsequent visits to 

 the same place revealed about thirty more masses of eggs. 

 In every case the eggs were found within from three to six 

 and a half inches of the water's surface, either just under 

 the moss covering of an old stump or root or entangled in 

 moss rhizoids and grass roots, not in the earth below the 

 roots nor in the moss and grass above the roots. In the great 

 majority of instances the eggs were almost or quite directly 

 above the water, but occasional masses were located as much 

 as three inches from the water horizontally. Although most 

 of the clusters were confined to the shore line, a few were 

 discovered in the grassy islets several feet from shore. 



The process of hatching was observed in three egg masses 

 in the field on May 27. and numerous larvae were taken from 

 the water with a dip net. The larvae in all the other egg 

 masses examined on this date were in an advanced state of 



