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428 Tuir.LF/riNr :?i, united statks national mfskum, 



Tltis isiR'cii's prc'lers liirf^vr hodio.s of watt'i', iiiid cspociaMy liinints llic 

 sliores wheio tliickets iiiul uiuU'ibrii.sh iiiiikti tliem inaccessible. It.s 

 vui(!0 is lainiliar to all (IwcIUts in tlie country, liavinj^ nuicli tlio tone 

 of that of a bull, but with a bcttcr-defmcMl enunciation, it unvy be im- 

 itated by uttering- ;. bass "br'wuni" several times in succession, with a 

 hoarse voice, in front of an enii)ty cask or other revei'berating cavity. 

 Familiar imitations of it aie the words "bo drowned'' or "more rum.*' 

 Th(^ voice is not uttered until the arrival of warm weather, and is con- 

 tinued duriuf'' the evening' throuj;hout its continuance. It may be 

 heard for a distance ol' several miles. 



])r. .1. II. (iarnier* points out the relationship between this species 

 and the li. damnta and U. scpfciitriotKilifi, in the lollowinj;' lanynajic: 



"(1) They have no chant amour, or love notes, in spring'. ('J) They 

 retire early to hibernate with the lirst autumnal frost. (.») They live in 

 the water and lie in wait for their food, but do not hunt for it on land. 

 They i)oise the body on any lioatinj'' weeds, lie on the bank or any bit 

 of stick or loj4' that suits their purpose. (I) The tadpoles of A*. cdteNhidna 

 and R.vUinintu reipiire two years to mature, ami the ' mink fro;"' [R. scp- 

 It'utrioHdlis) retpiires the same period. (."» and <•) The foot is bioadei' in 

 proportion than in tlu' rest of tlu' lamily (Jgenus), and the second toe 

 is proi)ortionally stouter, a i»eculiarily empliatieally distinct, which can 

 b«^ seen at a ylance. (7) When captured they sometimes utter a cry of 

 distress (juite dilferent from their ordiiiaiy croakiiij;' notes, and I have 

 often seen the bullfroj'' ( /i'. cdlcshidnd) ojien his nuMith and scream for 

 over a minute. (S^ AVIien they jiive their note it is always i»ro(luced by 

 inllatinji' the throat-jjouch and suddenly expellin;^ the air, whereas in A'. 

 riri'scoiSj etc., there is a jiouch near the an,i;le of the Jaws, (sn either side. 

 (1>.) They are all tin}>ed more or less with yelh)wish}jreen on the chin, 

 which soon shades towan's the throat and breast, and the belly is whde, 

 or nearly so." 



RANA MONTKZfM.l-: Itninl.f 



Iioiia moiili:ii;ti<i I'minl. rnicccd. Ac I'liihi.. \'-'i'>. [i. i'>l : (nranl, }\ S. Mcx, nomid. 

 Siu-v., Ji'optil.'s.. ).. -JT, ri. :!(i, li;,'. l-C; liicMclii, Miss. Sc. Mrx. li.itr., \>. II, I'l. 

 IV, li-. a. 



The jieneral form is rather squat and li(>avy; in this respect re- 

 semblfii*;' the Northern bull-fro,i>-, or Rdiui cdtcshidiid. Like it, it is with- 

 out any lateral riil;;(' of the skin on the i>ack, or if such l)e present, it is 

 interrupted and soon disappears. The head is depressed, the an.nles 

 all rounded, eanthus rostralis not distinct ; the nostrils situated a little 

 below its highest part, al»out halfway between tnee.\e and tipofsnout. 

 The t(ti» of the head is slightly convex between the eyes, without any 

 groove. Tiiere is a slight depression behind and below the exterior 

 nostrils, and which, proceeding backwards, beconu's obs(»I('t(' iu'low 

 the anterior eanthus of the orbit and then leappears below (lie middle 



*Aincrican NiUmiili.st, 1-^s:!, 



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