162 American Fisheries Society 



fall into the trap cavity, and from which they seldom 

 escape. Thierre also uses a large minnow box to store 

 his frogs, until delivery to the dealers. 



By means of the screens and traps a single night's 

 catch may amount to about 500 pounds, from about a 

 half mile of screen in a good locality. As much as $70.00 

 has been paid for a single catch. 



Mr. Coville, who has had much experience in catching 

 frogs, informs me that the frogs near the swamps are 

 more abundant, but smaller than on the uplands. It 

 takes from 40-50 swamp frogs to make a pound of frogs 

 legs for market. Of the larger upland frogs it takes a 

 smaller number, from 25-35, to make a pound of legs. 

 The average for mixed lots, of swamp and upland frogs, 

 range from 25-40 to make a pound of legs. Coville 

 attributes the differences in the frogs of these two 

 habitats to the more abundant food on the uplands, where 

 there is more food and fewer frogs competing for it. 

 Coville estimates that about 20,000 upland frogs, live 

 weight, make a ton ; about 30,000-40,000 of swamp frogs 

 to the ton, and an average mixed lot will contain about 

 28,000 to 30,000 frogs. In the fall of 1915 Mr. Coville 

 had on hand in his cages about five tons of frogs, or 

 about 150,000 frogs. 



These estimates of the relative differences between 

 swamp and upland frogs are a rough measure of the 

 degree of productiveness of the two kinds of land, and 

 are probably surprising to most persons who naturally 

 look to the swamp as the most favorable habitat for the 

 frog. A valuable suggestion, bearing on frog breeding, 

 is made by these facts. This is that a frog farm, if on 

 swampy land, must provide for feeding the denser pop- 

 ulation or the frogs will be small, or it should provide 

 for upland feeding grounds. Of course, part of the 

 swamp frogs might be collected and taken to the uplands, 

 after the Danish method of transplanting Plaice to better 

 feeding grounds, and allowing them to grow, before 

 marketing. 



