356 IN LOWER FLORIDA WILDS 



most delightful harbingers of spring, that of some 

 species beginning before the ice is fairly melted 

 from the streams and ponds ; little of it is heard in 

 mid-summer. Here such music is rare in the dry 

 spring months but as soon as the early summer 

 rains flood the low places the nights resound with 

 frog music, and the clacking, snoring, screaming, 

 and gurgling are heard from dusk to dawn. One 

 cannot listen to these little songsters without feel- 

 ing that they are intensely happy as no doubt they 

 are. 



Now and then the deep voice of the bullfrog 

 (Rana catesbyana) is heard, a voice of such power 

 that it sometimes carries for miles. To me its 

 note, uttered at intervals sounds like "o-onk, 

 o-onk," while to others it is variously interpreted 

 as "br'wum," "be drowned," or "more rum." It 

 is probable that its note varies a little in different 

 localities (it has an immense range in the United 

 States), and as animals do not have the power of 

 articulating sounds distinctly their notes sound 

 differently to different hearers. This song for- 

 give the term is a sort of tremendous musical 

 grunt, impressing one with the idea of unlimited 

 lung power. No wonder that its voice is powerful 



