AMPHIBIANS 45 



is possible. The nature of the stomach contents should be noted. 

 Packing, labeling, and shipping of alcoholic specimens of reptiles 

 is the same as that noted below for amphibians. Too much 

 emphasis cannot be placed upon the need for complete and 

 legible labels, one for each specimen, or one for a group of 

 specimens all collected on the same day at the same place. 



Remember that the inconspicuous, secretive animals that are 

 hardest to find are likely to be the rarest in museum collections. 

 Well-preserved and accurately labeled material from any part of 

 the world is of value. 



AMPHIBIANS 



(Frogs, Toads, Salamanders, Caecilians) 



Frogs and toads are most common around water or in moist 

 places. Marshes and ponds are attractive to many, while other 

 kinds will be found on or around trees and stones in forests. 

 Parasitic plants and mosses covering branches and trunks in 

 tropical forests harbor many. Salamanders live under logs, be- 

 neath bark, in damp decayed wood, or under stones. A few kinds 

 are found in water. Caecilians are wormlike, burrowing amphibians 

 confined to the Tropics; they live in the mud of swamps, from 

 which they emerge sometimes after rains. The more secretive 

 the specimen, the rarer it usually is in collections, and hence the 

 more desirable. 



Night collecting is profitable, as many amphibians remain 

 concealed by day. Use a flashlight, or a gasoline lantern that 

 throws light in all directions. 



The best means of killing all species is to drown them in a 

 4 



