REPTILES OF MASSACHUSETTS, 241 



lower lip whitish ; throat, clavicle, and auricles, minutelylspot- 

 ted with, black dots ; irides golden copper. When resting on 

 a dark substance, it changes at pleasure to a dark ashen hue, 

 the lines becoming black and prominent, and the spots on the 

 head and rump very perceptible, as also the transverse bars o;i 

 the upper surface of the legs. Length of the body from the 

 snout, to the vent, one inch j of hinder thighs and legs, each 

 half an inch ; of tarsus and toes, seven tenths of an inch ; of 

 the largest toe, four tenths of an inch. Whole length of the 

 fore legs, half an inch." 



HYLA. Laurenti. 



Generic characters. Body in general elongated ; upper jaw 

 and palate furnished with teeth ; tympanum apparent ; no 

 post tympanal glands ; fingers long, and with the toes ter- 

 minating in rounded viscous pellets. 



H. versicolor. Le Conte. The common Tree Toad. 



Ann. Lye. N.Y. vol. i. p. 281. 

 Harlan's Med. and Phys. Res. p. 109. 



As the tree toadj this species is commonly known through- 

 out New England, from the circumstance of its being more 

 generally found upon trees than in any other situation ; its 

 color conceals it admirably, and it often eludes a careful search 

 on account of its similarity to the object upon which it may 

 be resting. A specimen two inches in length, exhibits the 

 following appearances. Above, of a light ash color, with a 

 brownish cruciform marking between the shoulders, and 

 smaller irregularly formed blotches distributed over various 

 parts of the back j beneath, white, granulated, with a yellow- 

 ish tint at the posterior portion of the sides. Head, broad ; 

 snout, blunt. Eyes, large ; pupils, black ; irides, golden. Ex- 

 tremities ash colored above. Anterior extremities with a small 

 number of brown markings ; beneath, white and brownish ; 

 four fingers free, terminating in pellets. Posterior extremities 

 31 



