JULY. Ill 



fore re-entering the tropics overhead. It was a lucky 

 thought. 



Peering into the wide cracks between the huge stones 

 of the mill's foundation walls, I found many a one was 

 tenanted. Lithe salamanders, spotted frogs, a mouse, and 

 huge gray spiders innumerable were brought to light, and 

 either darted into inaccessible crevices or boldly plunged 

 into the waters beneath the wheel. One frog was a phi- 

 losopher. He leaped upon the descending face of the 

 wheel and sat there, the picture of content and defiance, 

 until the water was reached, when he dived into its spark- 

 ling depths. 



What these frogs found to eat can only be conjectured ; 

 for, indifferent as they appeared to be in the matter of 

 food, I doubt if one would dare to pounce upon the fero- 

 cious-looking spiders which alone represented invertebrate 

 life in this semi-aquatic spot. Possibly these frogs were 

 cannibals. This is not unusual. I have at present in a 

 Wardian case a specimen of the rare green tree-toad, or 

 Anderson's hyla, captured in " the pines " of southern 

 New Jersey. "While feeding it with flies a few days ago — 

 which it takes from my fingers — I was startled by the 

 sudden on-rush of a little wood-frog, which, impatient for 

 its own dinner, seriously attempted to swallow both the 

 tree-toad and my fingers at one mighty gulp. Being pre- 

 pared by the initial attempt, I coaxed the frog into re- 

 peating the effort. A mighty effort it was, too ! With 

 widely gaping jaws, which were distended before the leap 

 was made, the frog attempted to scoop up the toad and 

 swallow it, or get such a hold as would make subse- 

 quent swallowing an easy task ; and yet the difference in 

 size of the two creatures was very little. As for the tree- 

 toad, it took the whole proceeding as a matter of course, 

 not moving a muscle, even when such great danger was 

 apparently imminent. The whole tribe of tailless batra- 

 12 



