X22 



NATURAL HISTORY OF VERMONT. 



Ckap. 4 



COMMON TREE TOAD. 



PEEPING TREE FROG. 



regular brown markings and numerous 

 small brown spots ; hind legs faintly band- 

 ed with brown ; beneath, whitish yellow 

 and granulated ; head rather broad ; nose 

 blunt; fore feet with ibur toes, one dis- 

 posed like a thumb for clasping ; hind feet 

 slightly webbed, with five toes, and two 

 tubercles on the heel; all the toes termi- 

 nated in small tumefactions or soft tuber- 

 cles ; a considerable cavity between the 

 orbits ; a dark marking on each side of 

 the head embracing the tympanum. To- 

 tal length of the head and body about 1 

 inch. 



History. — I liave two fine specimens 

 of tiiis beautiful little animal, both of 

 which I captured in Burlington. The 

 first measures just 1 inch from the snout 

 to the posterior of tiie body. I captured 

 it in a dry pine grove, October 6, 1840. 

 Though the weather was cool it was very 

 active, and it was with difficulty that I 

 succeeded in taking it. Its leaps were of- 

 ten from four to six feet. It would bound 

 into the air and cling to the small limbs 

 and bushes 4 or 5 feet from the ground. 

 The other I caught in August, 1840, near 

 what is called the High Bridge. The 

 length of the head and body is .8 in. 



Genus Hvia. — Laurcnti. 

 GeneiHC Characters\ — Body is generally c- 

 longated ; upper jaw and palate furnished wilh 

 teeth ; tympanum apjjarent ; no post-Iyinpanal 

 glands; iingers long, and, wilh the toes, termina- 

 ting in rounded viscous pellets. 



THE COMMON TREE TOAD. 

 Hyla versicolor.— ^l-iZ Conte 

 Desxtription. — General form like that 

 of the common toad, with the posterior 

 portion more slender. Usual color above, 

 light ash with irregular brownish blotch- 

 es, frequently cruciform between the 

 shoulders, and commonly two brown bars 

 crossing the thiglis and hind legs ; belly 

 white and granulated ; flanks and under 

 side of the thighs orange ; head broad ; 

 enout blunt; pupils black ; iris golden, 

 reticulated with black ; anterior extrem- 

 ities rather small ; four toes before and 

 five behind on each foot, all terminated by 

 tumefactions or pellets. Usual length 2 

 inches. 



History. — The Tree Toad is so called 



on account of its often being found upon 

 trees, which it climbs by means of the 

 pellets upon its toes. By these it is able 

 to sustain itself upon the smooth surface 

 of a perpendicular pane of window glass. 

 They for the most part remain silent and 

 concealed during the day time, but during 

 warm rainy weather they sometimes be- 

 come very noisy, and ascend upon logs, 

 fences, and trees, but as they assume very 

 nearly the hue of the object upon which 

 they are situated, they arc not readily dis- 

 covered. They feed and inove from place 

 to place mostly by night, but when discov- 

 ered during the day, they will often suf- 

 fer themselves to be taken in the hand 

 without making any effort to escape. In 

 their general form they resemble the com- 

 mon toad. 



THE PEEPING TREE FROG. 



Hijla sqnirella. — Bosc. 

 Description. — Form slender; semf- 

 transparcnt; color brownish red above, 

 with obscure, irregular, br own blotches, 

 bars, and specks on the upper side of the 

 head, body, and legs ; chin and throat 

 greenish ; belly and under side of the 

 thiglis yellowish white, with the flanka 

 and posterior of the thighs light orange, a 

 cuticular fold along each side ; eyes small, 

 pupil black, iris golden ; a large cavity on 

 the head between the orbits; head broad- 

 er than long ; mouth large, tongue fleshy ; 

 minute teeth on the upper jaw and palatej 

 upper jaw margined with whitish; bones 

 of the head very thin and transparent; 

 limbs slender ; 4 toes on the anterior and 

 5 on the posterior feet, all terminated in 

 rose colored pellets ; one toe on each fore 

 foot disposed like a thumb for clasping; 

 hind feet palmated. Length of the spe- 

 cimen before me, 1.1 in.,; head, .3; thighs, 

 .5 ; tarsus to the end of the toes, .7 ; great- 

 est width of the head, .3-5 



History. — This species, though not so 

 common as the preceding, is met with in 

 different parts of the state, but is much 

 oftoner heard than seen. During the 

 warm stimmer evenings its shrill -peep is 

 heard to a great distance. It ascends trees 

 and is often found concealed between the 

 loose bark and wood of old decayed trees. 

 This species, in its general form, has a- 



