2 • University of MicJiiyiui 



mens were obtained — a farm one mile east of Callioun. Twelve 

 specimens were secured, with photographs of the animals and 

 the burrows in which they li\ed. casts of the burrows and 

 notes on the habits. 



Apparently the only detailed notes on the habits of Rana 

 areolata which have been published are those of Hurter.^ His 

 observations were made in ^^lontgomery County, Missouri, and 

 as far as they go agree quite closely with ours. 



General Environmental Conditions: The country is in gen- 

 eral a flat plain with occasional low rolling hills ; there are few 

 streams and no natural lakes or ponds. The soil is mostly 

 clay with occasional stretches of sand, especially near the 

 streams. The whole is underlaid at a depth of about three 

 feet with "hard pan", a hard silty clay. A considerable portion 

 of the land is cultivated, but there are many old meadows 

 and along the streams some wooded areas. Scattered about 

 the region are frequent "horse ponds", shallow cisterns which 

 are formed by scraping away the soil from the "hard pan" and 

 using it as a dike to hold the water which falls (PI. II, Fig. i). 

 These ponds cover an area of from one-third to one-half of an 

 acre, are from two to four feet deep, and are used as stock- 

 watering places. They bear no relation to the topography of 

 the country, but are located entirely at the convenience of the 

 farmers. 



Bitrroivs-' The region is a particularly favorable habitat 

 for Rana areolata because of the presence in great numbers of 

 the crayfish burrows, in which, as reported by Hurter, this 

 species makes its home. These burrows are quite generally 

 distributed in the meadows and cultivated fields but not in the 

 sandy areas. Their distribution apparently bears no relation 

 to the ponds and streams, which is to be expected. since the 



iTrans. Acad. Sci. St. Louis, Vol. XX, No. s, pp. 116-117 



