EARLY VOICES OF SPRING. 7 



of whicli I describe farther on, but it has larger 

 "footpads." 



The cricket frog, or Savannah cricket {Acris gryl- 

 lus), a little creature a trifle over an inch long, com- 

 monly found as far north as southern New York, is 

 the only known representative of this genus. In 

 more southern marshes — those, for instance, of 

 New Jersey — we may happen to hear both Pick- 

 ering's Hyla and the cricket frog singing in com- 

 pany. 



But Acris gryllus has a distinct voice of his own. 

 He does not whistle an uninterrupted note, but 

 breaks into musical crepitations some- 

 what resembling the broken tone of 

 a rattle whistle. His voice has the 

 same character as that of the 

 common toad, but its quality is 

 more nearly hke that of the tree 

 cricket. More than one natural- '=-, .ass- 



ist has suggested its likeness to savannah cricket 



°= {Acna gryllus). 



the rapid striking together of two 

 pebbles, but to my ear the pebbles are not musical 

 enough ; impart to them some of the cheery jin- 

 gle of sleighbells and then I will admit the simili- 



tude. 



•if 72 



^ ■■*• 



rrrrrrrr 



In appearance the cricket frog altogether differs 



