258 NATURE SKETCHES IN TEMPERATE AMERICA 



were noticed to assume the form of three conspicuous pairs, 

 while again they appeared so distorted and differently arranged 

 in the second individual, as compared to that of the first, that 

 the law of definite pattern seemed to have been set at defiance. 

 The lower surfaces of this species are unspotted, as shown in 

 the tailpiece photographic illustration. The young subject 

 of this picture very amiably allowed me to turn him over on 

 his back, and there he remained until J had obtained his 

 picture. 



The text photograph illustration . of a Fowler's toad was 

 made from an individual which frequented the open grassy 

 ground near my summer quarters. This species proved to 

 be almost as common as the ordinary toad, Bufo americanus, 

 and equally effective as insect destroyers, foraging for the 

 latter over a wide extent of the open country. I found multi- 

 tudes of the eggs of the Fowler's toad in June, 1907, in the 

 temporary small ponds, formed by recent rains along the road- 

 side. These egg masses were easily recognized by their resem- 

 blance to long strings. In the latter part of June the tadpoles 

 were very numerous. 



As the range of Fowler's toad has heretofore been recorded 

 only from the New England States, it is interesting to note 

 that Allard, in a recent number of Science, has described this 

 toad as occurring in Georgia. He describes its notes as a "brief, 

 penetrating droning scream." Science is indebted to Dickerson 

 for presenting an excellent account of this species, as well as 

 the common form, in her "Frog Book." 



That the common toad is well protected from the attacks 

 of birds is quite evident. A tame red-shouldered hawk on 

 our grounds, which was nearly full grown, had never seen a 

 toad before, so I placed a full-grown toad in the hawk's cage to 

 determine what action, if any, he might take. The toad 

 jumped out of my hands only to be at once seized by the 

 hawk. The attitude of the toad was of particular interest, 

 because of its complete submission to the hawk's attack. It 

 immediately quieted down — its body being perfectly motionless 

 — in apparent fear, closing its eyes half-way. The hawk 

 picked at one side of its body behind the foreleg but twice. 

 Then, seeming to be seized with a disagreeable taste in its 



