536 General Notes. 
their orgies till late at night. But I made carefu) examination the 
following morning, withcut finding a single specimen—not even a 
sign of one. Inthe water I found plenty of the spawn attached to 
rass and floating in strings, loosely attached to weeds—a fact which 
clearly indicated the purpose of their presence and peculiar 
excitement. 
n account of the pressure of other studies, I was not able to 
watch the development of the eggs. Indeed, I doubt whether they 
ever hatched, as the pond was nearly dry before the close of the fol- 
lowing day, and the soil, being of the loose sandy drift peculiar to 
that locality, would not certainly retain water for sufficient time 
for the growth of the tadpole—if, indeed, for the hatching of the 
eggs, though, as to this last, I cannot say, as I left before it could 
have occurred. 
This characteristic of the spawning habit is certainly peculiar, 
and seems somewhat difficult to explain. First, the lateness of the 
season is remarkable. It is said that a related European species 
breeds twice a year. Can it be possible that such is the case with 
_Scaphiopus? There are some facts which seem to indicate that it 
might be, though it is hardly probable. Second, the places of 
spawning is still more remarkable. From the observations of Dr. 
Abbott and Colonel Pike, as well as my own, the choice seems to be 
for some temporary sink-hole or surface-pond. If the conditions 
for development in these places from speedy drainage, etc., were no 
so utterly precarious, it might be thought a shrewd precaution for 
evading the natural enemies common in the more permanent ponds 
and bogs. Altogether, the case seems to be quite anomalous. 
But to refer again to the adults in the pond: There they were by 
scores. Whence had they come, and in such numbers? In all 
probabilities, from the ground of the bordering hillsides and 
environs. But not a single specimen was seen out of the water, 
and that, too, notwithstanding we were at the pond almost 1mme- 
diately following their first coming. If they had come from any 
tolerable distance, it would seem that some late-comers would have 
been detected. Again, their retreat must have been almost as sud- 
den as their appearance. I passed the pond about ten o’clock at 
Such seems the most probable explanation. Yet so carefully 
they covered the retreat that not the slightest trace could be found. 
Furthermore, their appearance itself seems to be capricious and 
vant habits as to 
able to find any 
account of them. ker 
It las been suggested that they are, doubtless, nocturnal ap sin 
and that this explains, in a measure, their comparative rarity, br 
where known to exist. I have no hesitancy in assenting tO 
