ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



are about half way across four more are just in 

 sight, following in their wake. I am utterly 

 amazed at the conduct of these apes, and it is 

 to me certainly a new phase of their life. 



I insist that Mr. Aschemeier. my taxidermist 

 companion, will not shoot at anything near our 

 domicile. A mile has always been my limit, and 

 1 have always observed the rule myself except 

 for game birds. I can't bear to have my ani- 

 mal neighbors murdered, and they seem to know 

 that, for I long had three schools of monkeys 

 that made their home in the bush around my 

 clearing and often came to my fruit rack, within 

 ten yards of the house, and stole bananas. 



For four years, two ibises nested in a tree 

 just in front of my house, and mixed with my 

 chickens in the yard. Three schools of chimps 

 boarded on me for over four years, and three or 

 four antelope used to come three or four times 

 a week to eat manioc in my garden. Three pairs 

 of mocking-birds ( ?) nested for several years in 

 a palm that stood within ten yards of my door. 

 In fact. I have always guarded my wild neigh- 

 bors; and they seem to realize it. 



Here I have the finest Zoo Park possible, and 

 I shall try to keep it stocked. But I don't know 

 how long it will be my home. 



Five times today I have seen chimps crossing 

 the open plains near us. in groups of eleven, 

 five, three, one and two. counting the first two 

 groups as one, because they were all in sight 

 at one time. 



Yours very truly. 



R. L. Garner. 



SOUTH AMERICAN FROGS. 

 By Richard Deckert 



IN THE amphibian collection of the Reptile 

 House are several large specimens of the 

 five fingered frogs, a species common in 

 northern South America, where they take the 

 place that the bullfrog occupies in the United 

 States. 



These creatures are not true frogs, belonging 

 to the family Cystignathidae, which is more 

 closely related to the toads and tree-toads. The 

 determining characters, however, are purely in- 

 ternal, therefore we will speak of these animals 

 as frogs, especially since they resemble our true 

 frogs in appearance. 



The specific name, Leptodactylus pendactylns 

 means slender-fingered five-fingered, and is giv- 

 en this frog on account of the possession by the 

 males of a spur on the inside of the hand, in ad- 

 dition to the regular four fingers. The color 



above is rich chocolate brown, with darker cross 

 bands and marblings. The concealed part of 

 the thigh is brilliant crimson, the sides of the 

 body lemon or whitish yellow, and the throat 

 and abdomen are pale gray with purplish mar- 

 blings. A black band extends from the tip of 

 the snout through the nostril and eye. curving 

 over the ear-drum and ending at the insertion 

 of the arm. 



The eye is large and prominent. The lower 

 half of the iris is black, and the upper half a 

 beautiful pale bronze tint. The skin is smooth, 

 moist, and when handled, very slippery, owing 

 to a strong and acrid secretion. This secretion 

 has a very peculiar odor, is intensely bitter to 

 the taste, and serves perhaps, as a protection 

 against some of the frog's enemies. On the 

 sides of the body arc several rows of large 

 glands, some round and some oval in shape. The 

 head is very large, and the mouth is unusually 

 wide, even for a frog. There arc no webs on 

 the feet and the fingers and toes are long and 

 slender for a frog of five and one-half inches 

 bead and body length. 



The habits of this species are terrestrial and 

 nocturnal. In their terrarium, they sit bunched 

 together in the darkest corner during the day, 

 but at night they are quite active, continuously 

 making the rounds of their cage by means of 

 short leaps. 



Although shy creatures, they do not jump up- 

 on being touched, but at first squat close to the 

 ground with head lowered, hissing loudly with 

 every breath. When continually annoyed, one 

 specimen raises itself on its limbs as high as 

 possible, and with body slanted toward the in- 

 truder, tries to rid itself of its tormentor by but- 

 ting vigorously. In this position the brilliant 

 crimson of the inner sides of the thighs appear 

 like fresh blood flowing from a wound. 



When taken up suddenly, one of our speci- 

 mens will utter a series of loud, piercing cries, 

 like a kitten in acute pain. These cries are pro- 

 duced with the mouth wide open, whereas the 

 regular calls of frogs and toads are made with 

 the mouth closed. 



Among the many species of amphibians ob- 

 served by the writer at the Reptile House, none 

 can approach this one in quickness of movement. 



When food, which consists of roaches, grass- 

 hoppers, frogs, toads and sometimes mice, is in- 

 troduced into the vivarium, the frog seems at 

 first not to pay the slightest attention, but should 

 the unsuspecting victim, either toad or insect. 

 venture too near, it will be pounced upon and 

 devoured with startling rapidity. 



