6 COPEIA 



firmed those of Davis and of other observers who 

 have recorded their shy ways and strictly aquatic 

 habits. I think our familiarity with Rana gryllio, the 

 big frog found swimming among the "bonnets" in 

 some of the Florida lakes, has made this frog's re- 

 lationship to the New Jersey sphagnum frog seem 

 doubly striking, for their coloration in life is aston- 

 ishingly similar, and in fact one seems to be but a 

 miniature representative of the other. At dusk we 

 have usually taken our supper, and then waited for 

 darkness to come on and for the Hylas to begin to 

 sing, we have had good luck taking Hylas by the fol- 

 lowing method : One of us with an electric flashlight 

 would start for the nearest singing Hyla, while the 

 other usually waited some distance away. As soon as 

 the Hyla stopped singing, the person who was not 

 trying to approach would imitate the call of the frog, 

 and this would start it singing again vigorously, and 

 while it was singing the collector bearing the light 

 would approach as quickly as possible, standing still 

 as soon as the singing ceased. This process was kept 

 up until finally the light flashed on the vibrating 

 white throat of the singing Hyla, and its capture then 

 became a perfectly simple matter, as they stared 

 stupidly at the brilliant light. 



Up to this year I have known nothing regarding 

 the breeding habits or the time of egg-laying of these 

 Hylas, but have assumed that it was in May, as Davis 

 reported them singing very plentifully at that time. 

 This year, however, we did not get down to Lake- 

 hurst until the 8th of July, when we found the Hylas 

 singing in goodly numbers in the white cedars about 

 the lake. After capturing a number of singing males 

 (I had never taken a female before) , my light flashed 

 by the merest chance upon a pair of Hylas sitting 

 well up in a pine tree, in embrace. This, and another 

 taken in a similar situation, were the only females 

 secured, although we took several males from the low 

 oak scrub about a small fresh water pool in the pine 



