﻿258 
  HYLIDiE. 
  

  

  prognostics 
  — 
  a 
  conclusion 
  which 
  my 
  own 
  experience 
  

   can 
  only 
  confirm. 
  

  

  The 
  tree-frog 
  lives 
  well 
  in 
  confinement, 
  feeding 
  

   readily 
  on 
  flies 
  and 
  mealworms 
  ; 
  a 
  man 
  of 
  the 
  name 
  

   of 
  Papst, 
  in 
  Gotha, 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  kept 
  one 
  for 
  

   twenty-two 
  years. 
  

  

  In 
  Central 
  Europe 
  pairing 
  takes 
  place 
  in 
  April 
  or 
  

   beginning 
  of 
  May, 
  mostly 
  at 
  night, 
  and 
  lasts 
  but 
  a 
  short 
  

   time. 
  The 
  male 
  seizes 
  the 
  female 
  about 
  the 
  arms, 
  

   and 
  digs 
  the 
  hands 
  in 
  the 
  axils 
  or 
  above 
  the 
  shoulders 
  

   under 
  the 
  fold 
  prolonged 
  from 
  the 
  supra-tympanic. 
  

   The 
  croaking 
  during 
  the 
  pairing 
  season 
  is 
  very 
  loud, 
  

   produced 
  mostly 
  in 
  the 
  evening 
  and 
  at 
  night, 
  and 
  the 
  

   males 
  joining 
  in 
  choruses, 
  the 
  rolling 
  crak-cralc 
  voice 
  

   is 
  to 
  be 
  heard 
  miles 
  off. 
  These 
  concerts 
  are 
  continued 
  

   far 
  into 
  the 
  summer 
  when 
  the 
  weather 
  is 
  bright 
  or 
  

   on 
  the 
  approach 
  of 
  a 
  thunderstorm, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  

   even 
  as 
  late 
  as 
  autumn. 
  The 
  female 
  enters 
  the 
  water, 
  

   where 
  she 
  is 
  awaited 
  by 
  the 
  males, 
  only 
  when 
  ready 
  

   to 
  spawn, 
  and 
  oviposition 
  is 
  accomplished 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  

   hours. 
  Deep 
  pools 
  or 
  ponds 
  of 
  clear 
  water, 
  more 
  or 
  

   less 
  richly 
  endowed 
  with 
  vegetation, 
  sometimes 
  flooded 
  

   quarries, 
  are 
  selected 
  for 
  the 
  purpose, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  

   part 
  of 
  summer 
  the 
  graceful 
  tadpoles 
  may 
  be 
  seen 
  

   swimming 
  about 
  like 
  fish 
  in 
  every 
  direction, 
  very 
  

   unlike 
  most 
  others, 
  which 
  keep 
  more 
  to 
  the 
  bottom 
  

   and 
  only 
  rise 
  now 
  and 
  then 
  to 
  fetch 
  air 
  at 
  the 
  surface, 
  

   or 
  lazily 
  He 
  basking 
  in 
  the 
  sun 
  in 
  the 
  shallow 
  parts. 
  

  

  Metamorphosis 
  takes 
  place 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  July 
  or 
  

   beginning 
  of 
  August, 
  when 
  swarms 
  of 
  baby 
  tree-frogs 
  

   may 
  be 
  found 
  hidden 
  in 
  the 
  grass 
  near 
  their 
  birth- 
  

   place, 
  whence 
  they 
  emerge 
  after 
  a 
  heavy 
  rain 
  in 
  such 
  

   numbers 
  as 
  to 
  produce 
  the 
  delusion 
  of 
  showers 
  of 
  

   frogs; 
  a 
  delusion 
  which 
  is 
  much 
  increased 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  

   that 
  they 
  sometimes 
  climb 
  up 
  the 
  clothes 
  of 
  passers 
  by, 
  

   who 
  fancy 
  they 
  have 
  come 
  down 
  on 
  them 
  with 
  the 
  

   rain. 
  

  

  A 
  case 
  of 
  hibernation 
  in 
  the 
  larval 
  state 
  has 
  been 
  

   recorded 
  by 
  Lessona. 
  

  

  