1884.] Recent Studies of the Spade-foot Toad. 1079 
These two species had been thirty-six hours out of the water 
when the examination was made. 
During this simple series of observations of young Scaphiopi 
in confinement, I watched also the development of those left in 
the sink-hole. The water there soon was confined to mere pud- 
dles concealed in the dead leaves, and before the young had their 
limbs fully developed the depth was nowhere sufficient to permit 
of swimming, Three days in advance of the maturing of my 
confined specimens, I saw, in the sink-hole, a few individuals 
which had fairly assumed the land-living, air-breathing stage of 
existence. Supposing that, like those I had at home, they would 
burrow in the earth where they were, I did not visit the locality 
from the 21st to the 31st of July, on which date I made an ex- 
haustive but unsuccessful search for them. Not a trace of either 
young or adult could I discover. It cannot be said that they 
were overlooked. My search was too careful and comprehensive 
for this, and I believe that these spade-foots, both old and young, 
wander farther from their breeding grounds than is supposed, or 
else dig far deeper into the earth than a depth of six or eight 
inches, as stated by Holbrook and DeKay. 
I have already referred to the wonderful noises made by these 
animals when they congregate in pools for the purpose of spawn- 
ing. At no other time do they appear to be vocal, and the ques- 
tion naturally arises, why, when the animal leads a life that 
requires no such power except for two or three days in a year, 
should its utterances be far louder than any or ali the frogs and 
toads of the same locality combined? Although the animal is 
strictly crepuscular and not diurnal, it could readily find a mate 
guided by sight, and the purpose of the deafening epithalamium is 
somewhat hard to determine. If it could be shown that they call 
to each other from far distant points, the difficulty would disap- 
Pear, but this they are not known to do. Apparently it is not until 
they are congregated in some available pool that they sing, if 
singing it can be called. No words yet in use in our language 
can fairly describe their utterances, which, it may be presumed, 
are expressions of delight at meeting. : 
A word in conclusion with reference to the peculiar spur-like 
Process which gives the common name to this batrachian. Hol- 
brook describes it accurately as follows: “ On the internal mar- 
gin of the metatarsus is a horny spade-like process, containing a 
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