1885.| Hibernation of the Lower Vertebrates. 39 
ter floods ; they appeared dead, but when brought to a fire became 
quite active. “ Soft-shell” turtles always die when thus thrown 
out by rises in the river in winter. 
Our more tender fish hibernate, but there are many hardy spe- 
cies that frequent the deeper pools of our rivers and are caught 
in large numbers by means of seines and nets let down through 
the ice. 
The species most commonly caught in this manner are quill- 
backs (Carpoides velifer Rafinesque, and C. cutisanserinus Cope), 
white sucker (Catostomus teres LeS.) and the “hog sucker” or 
“ molly-hog” (C. nigricans LeS.). The latter is apparently the 
hardiest of our fishes, being found in winter in shallow water of 
from six to twelve inches in depth. When the ice is three or 
four inches thick and clear, many “ molly hogs” are caught in 
the following manner: The fisherman walks slowly along’ the 
edge of the river on the ice, keeping a close lookout for fish, which 
will be seen just beneath the ice ; a heavy blow with an axe imme- 
diately above where they are either kills or stuns them; hastily 
cutting a hole in the ice the fisherman throws his fish out and 
proceeds in search of another. By this method, some winters, 
great quantities of fish are caught. 
The common toad regularly hibernates, in sandy soil burrow- 
ing to the depth of eighteen inches, in clayey ground the average 
depth attained is about eight inches. . They frequent gardens and 
are often found in their burrows in autumn by the gardener when 
burying garden produce and apples. In early spring they are fre- 
quently thrown out by the spade during early gardening, and in 
a few moments hop off apparently without impediment. 
Frogs are, at times, found some distance from water, passing 
the winters burrowing in damp places. — 
Early last spring when clearing out a cellar window two leop- 
ard frogs (Rana halecina Kalm) were found burrowed beneath 
the accumulation of the past year. The weather was quite cool 
and the frogs appeared to be dead, but when taken into a warm 
room they soon revived and began croaking. The locality where 
these frogs were found is on a ridge about seventy-five feet high 
and over three hundred yards from the river. 
As a rule newts and salamanders do not enter the ground but 
spend the winter in springs and beneath leaves and logs in the 
damper woods. I have found them in winter, when the springs 
