708 On the Habits of the " Savannah Cricket Frog." [September, 



eral were certain to be caught. They fed ravenously at this time, 

 and even when confined in very cramped quarters, would devour 

 any flies that came within reach. On the other hand, they were 

 the main food-supply of certain fishes, all the snakes, the turtles, 

 and a kw species of birds. 



I found that all our snakes at this time (April and May) were 

 more abundant in the meadows than elsewhere, and have no 

 doubt were drawn thither for the purpose of feeding on these lit- 

 tle batrachians. Even that lover of high, dry and dusty fields, 

 the hog-nosed snake {Heterodon phatyrhinus) was found to be sta- 

 tioned at intervals along the ditch banks, on the lookout for 

 " peepers ; " the dissection of one of these snakes proved that it 

 had fed upon these small frogs. 



About the 20th of May there was a very noticeable diminution 

 of their numbers, and by the 10th of June not a specimen was to 

 be found. 



The fact is, that their vigor culminates with the maturity of the 

 ova and spermatozoa, and having spawned, they have no vital force 

 remaining, and in the course of a few days after ovipositing, they 

 die. Weeks then elapse when no representatives of this batrach- 

 lan are to be found ; indeed none exist, except the thousands of 

 tadpoles. Late in' August these tadpoles had become fully de- 

 veloped " peepers." Even then they were very rare during that 

 summer (I suppose this is always the case), but in September 

 many were found in damp places, never in the water, but always 

 near a running brook, or a spring. By the middle of Sep- 

 tember a marked increase in their numbers was noticed ; but 

 their haunts were different. I found very few in the meadows, 

 but many in damp places, as spring holes, in the adjacent wood- 

 land, and particularly along a brook where the water flows rap- 

 idly over a rocky bed. 



It was here that I closed my field studies of these batrachians. 

 Early in October I found a number of these " peepers " in a little 

 ravine through which the above-mentioned brook passes. I no- 

 ticed at this time, that these little creatures had a decided aver- 

 sion to the water. Necessary as it was for them to keep their 

 skins moist, they had no desire to become thoroughly wetted, 

 and when by chance they made an unlucky jump and settled in 

 the water, they straightway crawled out and took up a high and 

 dry position on some projecting stone. If in the sun-light so 



