CHAPTEE VI. 



MEADOW SINGEES. 



^^ 



The soft bleating note that comes to our ears 

 from the marsh in summer time is that of the so- 

 called tree toad {Hyla versico- 

 / ^iir), who was given his Lat- 

 in name because he pos- 

 sesses an extraordinary 

 ability to assume a color 

 analogous with his sur- 

 roundings. {Metachro- 

 sis is the term usually 

 ■^.&=<^:^ employed, meaning a 



shifting over from one 



Tree Toail. 



^•n 



color to another.) But it is a slow process with 

 the little animal, who really requires quite a lit- 

 tle time to " get over " from dull brown to bright 

 green. He does this, however, and, according to 

 the brown trunk, green leaf, gray stone, or green- 

 white lichen on which he is perched, proceeds to 



86 



