Pelobatidae 



looks like a small brown ball of earth, but almost immediately 

 air is expelled from the lungs, so that the inflated sides collapse, 

 and two elevations rise at the smaller end and become two round 

 staring eyes (Fig. 13) of so brilliant a gold that they seem wholly 

 out of place in such a dusky surrounding. In the centre of each 

 golden circle is a very narrow black vertical slit, which gradually 

 broadens into an oval black pupil. Awkward hands are lifted 

 one at a time and rubbed over the eyes. The Spadefoot, now 

 quite awake and alert (Fig. 1 5) begins trying to escape. He does 

 not ^stealthily creep away as do many of the toads; he does 

 not startle one with a prodigious leap, as do the frogs and tree 

 frogs. He begins sinking out of sight into the soft earth, and in 

 less time than it takes to tell it, has wholly disappeared from view. 



If we wait a moment and then remove the earth carefully 

 from over him, we find him cosily settled in his usual hibernating 

 position. His head is bent downward so that his chin rests on 

 his front feet. These feet and the back ones are tucked closely 

 under him, his eyes are shut, and his sides are puflFed out because 

 of the expansion of the lungs within. 



If we take him out and put nim on a piece of paper or some 

 other solid substance, instead of directly on the ground, we can 

 observe the backward digging movement of the feet and can hear 

 the scratching and scraping as the horny parts of the feet (Fig. 19) 

 are vigorously rubbed against the hard surface. By this time, 

 however, the creature is thoroughly awake and greatly frightened. 

 (Fig. 18.) Finding its digging efforts unavailing, it creeps stealth- 

 ily forward or hops in regular toad fashion for a short distance, 

 and then tries again to dig a burrow in which to hide. 



The Hermit Spadefoot is not well known. It burrows into 

 the ground and sleeps days or weeks, perhaps years, at a time. 

 A gravedigger once found one 3 feet 2 inches from the surface 

 of the ground, with no evidence of entrance or exit to the burrow.* 

 The Spadefoot is seldom discovered in garden or orchard; but 

 it is certainly true that if a Spadefoot toad were turned out of 

 its burrrow by the plough, the casual observer would not give 

 it a second glance, because it looks so much like an ordinary 

 dingy brown toad, unless one sees its eyes. 



The mystery surrounding the life of the Spadefoot is increased 

 by the fact that when he does leave his burrow it is always under 



1 Vol. I, No. 7, Bulletin of Amcr. Museum of Nat. Hist., Col. Nicholas PiVe. 



54 



