CHAPTER VII. 

 THE SPADE-FOOT TOAD. 



In a sink-hole in a dry upland field, not far from the 

 house, on April 10, 1884, there suddenly appeared a 

 large colony of hermit spade-foot toads, which, by their 

 remarkable cries, attracted the attention of every one 

 passing by. So unlike the cries of any other of our 

 batrachians were their utterances, that all who heard 

 them were attracted to the spot, and wondered, when 

 they saw the creatures, that so great a volume of sound 

 could issue from so small an animal. One need not 

 wonder, however, on this point if they will but examine 

 the development of the animal's vocal cords. The ma- 

 chinery for producing sounds equal to an ordinary steam- 

 whistle are apparently contained in the throat of this 

 rare and curious batrachian. Holbrook, in his diagnosis 

 of the genus Scaphiopus, refers to the "sub-gular vocal 

 sac " of the males ; but it must not be inferred that the 

 females are voiceless. That they are not so noisy is 

 probable, but, occasion requiring, they can readily make 

 themselves heard. 



These spade-foots remained in the shallow waters of 

 this sink-hole until April 15, when, the weather becom- 

 ing considerably cooler, *hey as suddenly disappeared as 

 they had come. In May, 1874, these toads appeared in 

 like manner in the same locality, remained but a few 



