BATRACHIANS 311 



(R. palustris), commonly known as "Grass Frogs," are 

 generally confused. Both are conspicuously spotted with 

 large, dark blotches, and both spend more time on land 

 than in the water, frequenting damp or marshy meadows. 

 Though they much resemble each other, the Pickerel Frog 

 may be known from its congener by the bright yellow of 

 the under surface of the hind legs and the squarish spots on 

 a brownish body. Both species are active and difficult to 

 capture. 



Most attractive of all our frogs is the tiny Wood Frog 

 {R. syhatica). It is a beautiful little creature, of varying 

 shades of brown, with a large, blackish patch near the ear. 

 It is thoroughly terrestrial in habit, living in moist wood- 

 land and entering the water only during the mating season 

 in early spring. It lives fairly well in captivity, and should 

 be provided with damp moss and bits of rotten wood under 

 which to seclude itself. 



The Tree Frogs (Hylidce) are so shy and so difficult to 

 detect that the great majority of people are entirely unaware 

 of their existence, though their voices are well known to all 

 who have been in the country in spring. Two species are 

 abundant in the eastern states — the Common Tree Frog 

 (Hyla versicolor) and the Spring Peeper (H, pickeringii) . 

 Both are capable of astonishing color changes, which range 

 through all the possibilities of brown and gray. The 

 Peeper may be known by its small size, which does not 

 much exceed an inch, while its relative reaches a length of 

 two inches. The tree frogs are quiet during the day, hid- 

 ing among moss or foliage, clinging by means of the sucking 

 disks with which the toes are furnished. At night they 

 are active in the pursuit of insects. During the mating 

 season in early spring, tree frogs gather in woodland pools, 

 where their high-pitched notes form the chorus which has 

 given the Peeper its name. 



