Sept. 12. Legs fully developed, arms appearing, tail 

 getting shorter, length of larvae f inch. 



Sept. 14. Larvae breathing air, tail is but a short stump. 



Sept. 16. Tail gone, the young toads measure f inch 

 from snout to vent. 



JBufo lentiffinosus, Shaw, is the southern repre- 

 sentative of our common (northern) toad, and seems 

 to prefer the neighborhood of human habitations for 

 its abode. Near our house we found them under 

 boards, logs, tubs, heaps of rubbish, etc. Their 

 habits are in every respect similar to those of Bufo 

 americanus, and the call of the male cannot be dis- 

 tinguished from that of the northern species. The 

 toad itself, however, is differently built, the head 

 being wider and higher, and the arms and legs 

 shorter and more delicate. The eyes, also, are 

 larger, and the enormous bony knobs on the large 

 heads of some of the old females give them a sort of 

 resemblance to species of the tropical cystignathoid 

 toads Ceratophrys. Unlike the latter, our toads 

 are gentle creatures, living their life of usefulness 

 in our farms and gardens. 



Bufo quercimis, Holbrook, is, I believe, the 

 smallest species of the whole genus Bufo, called 

 the " Oak-toad, 1 ' and very common around Jackson- 

 ville. Its cry resembles that of a small chick, very 

 loud and shrill, and may be heard at any time of 

 day or night, sometimes from absolutely dry and 

 dusty fields and roadsides, where these tiny toads 

 hop about in the glaring sunshine, living on the 

 smallest of insects. The full chorus, which is ear- 

 splitting, is, however, heard only at night, after 

 heavy rains. The throat of the male is black, and 

 when the pouch is distended, forms a small elongate 

 bladder, slanting upward, and about % inch long 

 and ^ inch in diameter. The spawn is laid in tiny 

 strings, and the metamorphosis is very rapid. The 



