NOTES ON THE BREEDING HABITS OF THE 

 SWAMP CRICKET FROG, CHOROPHILUS 

 TRISERIATUS Wied. 



A. II. WRIGHT AND A. A. ALLEN 



About nineteen years ago, Professor 0. F. Hay 1 while 

 searching the ponds about Irvington, Indiana, for Am- 

 bystomas and their eggs discovered the eggs of Choro- 

 phihis t rise ria fas. The eggs were well advanced in 

 development and his observations on the succeeding 

 stages constitute most of what we know of the life-his- 

 tory of the swamp cricket frog. 



While on a similar search for Ambystoma jeffersoni- 

 anum in the suburbs of Buffalo one of us found several 

 males and females of Chorophilus and, subsequently, 

 some anuran eggs which for a time remained unidenti- 

 fied. Inasmuch as the identification of these eggs fur- 

 nished data upon the mating, egg-laying process and 

 fresh eggs of Chorophilus triseri<ittts-the period pre- 

 ceding that of which Professor Hay's observations treat 

 —it seems advisable to present this material. 



During the last weeks of March Chorophilus appears 

 in considerable numbers about the outskirts of Buffalo. 

 The male chorus which is easily distinguished from that 

 of Hyla pickeringii rises from most of the swamps and 

 temporary ponds, even within the city. The singers 

 themselves, however, are not easily seen, for, upon ap- 

 proach, they become silent and further disturbance causes 

 them to disappear into the vegetation at the bottom of 

 the pond where they remain until some time after the 

 disturbance has ceased. Then, from the most remote 

 corner the chorus is gradually taken up until the whole 

 pond resounds with the ringing notes. In taking up the 



