20 FROGS. 



a lio-lit than in the daytime. One can frequently observe the mating 

 behavior of this species during the day, if he can discover a spot where 

 the species has already begun ovulation. The author has te^ken most 

 of his mated pairs under such conditions. Before they are mated the 

 males may be heard croaking at the surface. Occasionally when 

 wading through an area in which eggs are numerous, one hears croaks 

 which at first puzzle him; they come from the mated and mating 

 frogs beneath the water and often reveal the position of the game on 

 the bottom. At such times, one finds several males and gravid 

 females about a,nd under sticks. More rarely, the pairs appear at 

 the surface. The period of matmg begins April 1 orl)efore, but the 

 bulk of it does not come until the middle of April; it continues for 

 about three weeks, extending to the first or middle of May. 



Like the leopard frog, the pickerel frog is gregarious at the breeding 

 time and often gathers in small, restricted areas for egg laying. This 

 facilitates its capture. The beginning of mating usually comes the 

 last week in April, the earliest record bemg April 5, the average 

 April 23. This species mates by day or night. The author has seen 

 very vigorous matmgs at all times of day. Often, witliin a smaP. area 

 6 feet square or less, one can find 12 to 15 pickerel frogs mating or 

 pairs in egg-laying positions. The mating places are often, but not 

 always, in shallows. Along one shore, within a short stretch, the 

 author has counted 20 or more frogs actively mating, to say nothing 

 of those in the water. In one instance, in a space 3 feet square, 

 were 21 unmated males, 5 mated pairs, and 8 fresh egg masses (rep- 

 resenting 16 more frogs). Usually with most of the frogs, mated 

 pairs, captured in the field, laid the night of the same day of then- 

 capture, but the rule did not always hold true with the jjickerel frog; 

 in fact, it seemed the exception. To find pairs of pickerel, frogs 

 which had mated in the laboratory waiting two or three days before 

 ovulation was not surprising, but frequently pairs from the field 

 waited from two to five days before laying. In two instances in 

 different years (one, in an early season, the other in a late season) 

 the eo-o-s were laid after remaining in the embrace a week. In 1912 

 a pair^continued in the embrace two weeks before ovulation. This 

 delayed deposition makes the pickerel frog less desirable than the 

 leopard frog. 



The green frog is a solitary species. This habit makes it difficult to 

 capture mated pairs in the field. One might better begin with the 

 eggs or tadpoles or adult breeders. The matmg is more active at 

 night than by day. It does not begin before the latter part of May. 

 With captive individuals it has been noted as early as May 22. The 

 interval between first croaking and actual mating may be considerable. 

 In his night collecting the author not infrequently located places 

 where a male might be found croaking several nights in succession. 

 Egg masses have subsequently been recorded in such spots ^o often 

 that it has been found a good plan to keep such localities in mind 

 when searching for eggs by day or night. About such masses the 

 original or other males are afterwards frequently found for varying 

 periods. In fact, many have been captured in this way. 



The buUfrog is as shy as the green frog, and only about places 

 where they are abundant could one ever hope to capture an appre- 

 ciable number of pairs. 



