328 UPLAND AND MEADOW 



upon every fly that became entangled in the web. Large 

 flies, that by hard struggling might escape, were seized 

 with lightning-like rapidity and benumbed by a bite, 

 and then the spider left it, to wait for other large flesh- 

 flies that might come. In this way a dozen were caught 

 hj noon, and then, for some undeterminable reason, the 

 spider snapped the web supporting the dead bird and 

 let it fall upon the underlying fence-rail. The web was 

 not immediately repaired. 



Althongh there have been two hard frosts, the ferns 

 that grow upon the south hillside are neither dead nor 

 drooping. I worked my way through a dense cluster 

 that was nearly breast-high. Pausing a moment to 

 hear the repetition of an unrecognized bird-note, I no- 

 ticed a pale yellow spot in front of me, that appeared 

 to move slightly, in a life-like manner. If an animal, it 

 certainly had no color-sense, sitting, as it did, in so ex- 

 posed a position. Or is it possible that it has no ene- 

 mies and needs no protection ? Drawing nearer, I saw 

 the " yellow spot " to be, as I surmised, a Pickering's 

 Hyla, and tried to catch it with my hand. It was too 

 quick. It gave a vigorous upward and onward leap, 

 alighting on a distant fern frond. I measured the dis- 

 tance afterwards and found it to be just three feet. This 

 trivial incident suggested how readily such creatures, if 

 timid, can elude our search. 



For months I had one of them in a "Wardian case, and it 

 was undoubtedly the most voracious of all the allied creat- 

 ures about us. Its digestion was perfect, and marvellous- 

 ly rapid. It always was ready for another fly, however 



