HAusMAN] THE SPRING PEEPER 131 



time, and with each peep it is deflated sHghtly. EHiring the calling, 

 the mouth is kept tightly closed, the sound issuing from the nostrils. 

 The vocal sac acts as a resonator, thus enforcing the strength of 

 the tone, and making it possible for the soimd to be heard effectively 

 for a distance of a quarter of a mile in calm weather. If one is 

 successful in isolating the notes of a single indi\4dual it will be 

 noticed that the tone produced is the pitch of E, slurred to F in the 

 highest octave of the piano, but this may vary slightly with different 

 individuals. The whole effect of the peepings of a pond full of 

 Hylas is a pleasing and mellow volume of flute-like notes, with 

 individual tones of superior clarity rising above the ensemble, like 

 the notes of a solo instrument in a concerto. On cloudy days 

 peepers call incessantly, but usually their voices are not evident 

 until about four in the afternoon, at which time the first movement 

 of the Hylan Nocturne begins, the finale coming sometime the 

 next morning. 



In the spring the males come first to the ponds, followed by the 

 females. In April the eggs are laid attached singly to the leaves 

 and stems of aquatic plants, or occasionally to stones upon the 

 bottom. All of the rest of our frogs and toads lay their eggs in 

 masses or in strings. The eggs are so small, being but one-twelfth 

 of an inch in diameter, that they resemble tiny seeds, as they cling 

 to their support by means of a drop of viscid jelly by which they 

 are surrounded. Because of their minute size, single placentation, 

 and their submergence beneath the water, peeper's eggs are not 

 easy objects to find. Each egg is enclosed in a globtilar capsule of 

 viscid jelly, and when first laid is a deep bro\sTi above and cream 

 yellow below, but during the early stages of development it 

 becomes a light gray. 



Within from six to twelve days the eggs have elongated and 

 developed into pale yellow tadpoles, which escape from their 

 incarcerating gelatinous envelopes and literally hang themselves 

 up on horizontal leaves and twigs beneath the water by means of a 

 pair of minute knob-like protuberances or holders, one on each side 

 of and below the mouth. Dark brown and gold pigment spots 

 appear on the back as the little creatiires assume the true "polly- 

 wog" form. The gold color gives place to a vivid green when the 

 hind limbs bud out and does not change again until the appearance 

 of the arms and the disappearance and absorption of the tail, when 

 the color becomes that of the mature frog. 



