Occasiojial Papers of tlic Museiuii of Zoology 5 



in the vicinity of a burrow. On the other hand, it does not 

 roam about during the day, as only two were found away from 

 holes in the day time and one of these had evidently been 

 turned out of its home by the harrow. Two frogs were 

 observed to drop hurriedly into their holes when frightened by 

 our approach. These individuals had evidently been sitting on 

 the bare spots at the entrance. It is difficult to determine the 

 amount of time which the frogs spend on the clearing at the 

 burrow entrance for at the slightest cause for alarm they dis- 

 appear into the holes. Hurter states that in Missouri many 

 are killed by mowers, and the farmers in Illinois informed us 

 that in the spring, when the grass is short, they are frequently 

 seen at the mouths of the burrows, observations which seem to 

 indicate that considerable time is spent on the clearings. 



Apparently when alarmed the frogs do not ordinarily 

 descend far into the burrow^s, for they are plowed out in num- 

 bers and the ground in that region is only plowed to a depth 

 of about three inches. When one attempts to dig them out, 

 they descend farther into the holes, but even then do not gen- 

 erally go to the bottom. We found it difficult to capture them 

 without enlarging the holes, the exceptionally powerful hind 

 limbs and the extent to which they can distend the body serving 

 to secure them so firmly that they could be mutilated before 

 being dislodged. Even when water or thin plaster was poured 

 into the holes the frogs remained to drown rather than come 

 to the surface. 



Pood Habits: The stomach contents of several frogs taken 

 by us have been examined by Air. A. W. Andrews, and he re- 

 ports that from 60-70% of the total contents consists of Scarites 

 ^iibtcrraneus and several species of Chlaenius, beetles nocturnal 

 in their habits. This would seem to indicate that the frogs, 



