A Turn-Coat of the Woods 



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In a week or so, however, the gills disappear, 

 and a few days later the hind limbs begin to 

 grow, progressing until even the feet are per- 

 fect by the time the tadpole is a month old. 

 Another month must elapse, however, before the 

 fore-arms have pushed out from the skin and 

 been perfected, by which time the tail is short- 

 ened and has lost its leaf -like shape, and the 

 hind feet have begun to do a part of the work of 

 swimming. The plumpness shrinks to a more 

 frog-like form, and early in July each tiny 

 froglet, dragging a mere remnant of tail, be- 

 gins to try what he can do with his feet on shore, 

 and soon finds himself able to jump about and 

 catch flies like an old hand. Then he hops away 

 to the woods, climbs a tree or fence-post, and is 

 received into hyla society. 



The family to which this frog belongs (the 

 Hylidce) is a numerous one, and has a remark- 

 able distribution, a fact which is commented 

 upon by Dr. Hans Gadow, as follows: 



" To say that this family is cosmopolitan, 

 with the exception of the African region, is 



