THE AQUARIUM BULLETIN 



53 



Green Tree Toad 



The Tree Toads are among the 

 most attractive of the Amphibians, 

 and can easily be kept for years in a 

 Terrarium. 



Three species are found on Long 

 Island, the largest of these being the 

 Gray or changeable Tree Toad. It is 

 well known from its ability to change 

 color, which it shares with many 

 other species. Contrary to the 

 generally accepted belief that this 

 color change is induced by the color 

 of the object on which the toad finds 

 itself, this is true only to a limited 

 degree. Temperature, moisture or 

 dryness, light or darkness, are the 

 real causes for this habit. \\ hen the 

 Tree Toad is in a well lighted cage, 

 kept dry, it assumes pale tints, sttch 

 as pale gray, pinkish, very pale green 

 or even white, provided the temper- 

 ature is high. In a cold room, or in a 

 terrarium planted with ferns, etc., he 

 w'U change to bright green, dark gray, 

 many tints of brown and, if kept very 

 cold, almost black. 



When the Tree Toad has taken on 

 his wliite or palest gray or green 

 tint, the star-shaped spot on his 

 shoulders vanishes or is only faintly 

 outlined. This spot, which is so 

 characteristic of this species, shows 



*(HYLA CINEREA) 



By Richard Deckert 



boldest when the Toad has his 

 "medium" tints on. It again dis- 

 appears when the darkest dress is 

 taken. Xo matter what color the Tree 

 Toad assumes, there is always a white 

 spot under the eye. 



The skin is loose, moist, and has 

 many small round warts on the upper 

 surfaces, while the under sides are 

 coarsely granular. Each toe ends in 

 a large adhesive disk ; these disks 

 secrete a sticky substance, by means 

 of which the Toad can climb and 

 adhere to any object, even glass. 



His food in captivity consists of all 

 kinds of insects, small earthworms, 

 sowbugs, etc. When none of these 

 are available, he can be fed by means 

 of a broomstraw, on the end of which 

 a small ball of chopped meat has been 

 placed. This is gently wiggled before 

 the Toad, and he will soon learn to 

 sna]) ofif the meat. I have kept many 

 species of delicate Frogs and Toads 

 in this way during winter, when it is 

 impossible to produce living insects. 



The voice of the Gray Tree Toad 

 is a loud chatter, strongly trilled, and 

 is heard in the Spring and Summer 

 months, usually before a thunder 

 storm. The scientific name of this 

 species is Hyla \ersicolor. 



*( Photo by D. Franklin, New York) 



