RAMBLES ABOUT HOME. 



ing its mental capabilities. The habits of the animal, as 

 described by Agassiz and Putnam, would lead one to con- 

 clude that intellectually they are to be classed with the 

 common toad. The tree-toad, or Hyla, being crepuscu- 

 lar in habits, was found difficult to study, and nothing 

 was determined that bore upon the question of its intel- 

 lectual capacity. I can but state my impression, which 

 is, that they are not so cunning as the common toad. 



On the other hand, I am pained to confess that my 

 many observations and experiments with the several spe- 

 cies of true frosjs found here, conducted without an inter- 



O ' 



mission for four months, have yielded but little evidence 

 that these creatures possess a particle of intelligence. It 

 almost proved, indeed, to be labor lost 

 To perch upon a slippery log, 

 And sit in judgment on a frog. 



Mr. Romanes remarks that, if frogs are removed to a 

 long distance from water, they will take the shortest route 

 to the nearest pool or brook. Even this, I find, is only 

 usually true. Quite ten per cent of such " removed" 

 frogs started off, when released, in the direction of the 

 most distant water, rather than that which was nearest. 

 One of my many experiments was as follows : I placed a 

 pail filled with water in a dry, dusty field, burying it to 

 the brim. It was protected by a cap of coarse wire siev- 

 ing. I then liberated a frog within twenty yards of it. 

 It hopped in the opposite direction toward water nearly 

 three hundred yards distant. I then placed a frog on 

 the opposite side of the buried pail, so that the distant 

 brook could only be approached by passing near or directly 

 over it, if the frog took a direct course. This the frog 

 did, and less than a score of leaps brought it to the water 

 covered by the sieve. It seemed quite satisfied with the 

 fact that a little water was in sight, although out of reach. 



