94 Remarks on Hyla femoralis, fyc. 



called in this vicinity, whose croaking in the orchards and about 

 our gardens from May to August, is so frequently heard and so 

 little admired, even by naturalists, becomes particularly clam- 

 orous on showery days and in warm evenings. But the cheerful 

 notes of the little peeping Hyla, may be emphatically styled the 

 "Voice of Spring," to the full chorus of which season it so 

 largely contributes. 



Description. The Hyla femoralis or Peeping Frog, is about 

 one inch in length, of a fawn color, with delicate dots of black 

 about the body. These dots in two rows form a cross upon the 

 back. The eyes are very prominent, limbs long, slender, formed 

 for great activity. In fine, it possesses in a high degree that 

 form and beauty, and that most graceful motion, peculiar to the 

 frogs. 



The Hyloe or tree frogs, differ only from other frogs in the 

 extremities of the toes, each of which is expanded into a rounded 

 viscous pellet or tubercle, enabling them to adhere to the sur- 

 face of bodies, and to climb trees and bushes ; where, in fact, 

 they remain all summer living upon insects. Many of them, 

 chameleon-like, have the power of changing their color to that of 

 the bark of the tree to which they adhere ; consequently they 

 are seldom noticed. They spawn in water, and in winter enter 

 the mud. The male has a pouch under the throat, dilating when- 

 ever he cries. 



Natural Science so forbidding to most minds by its systems, is 

 happily relieved by its Poetry, Who, unmoved, can listen to 

 the voice of spring to the song sparrow to the blue bird, and 

 even to the little peeping frog ? And what are these emotions, 

 which fill the soul with gladness, but the poetry of Nature of 

 Life ? The human mind is inquisitive. It wishes to know more 

 and more of the objects the beings which afford it pleasure. 

 Many of our race have received delight from even the Hyla, 

 who knew nothing of the creature save its voice. Spring after 

 spring it has saluted their delighted ears, from every fen and 

 morass, like a fairy sound, telling them that " the winter has 

 past the time of the singing of birds is come." But few, very 

 few, even of our rural population, whose dwellings are in the 

 midst of myriads of these beautiful, active and cheerful little rep- 



