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THE AMERICAN NATURALIST [Vol. XLIII 



were not seen again until the night of the twenty-second 

 of April, on which date seven males were fonnd trilling 

 in pond no. I. 2 Eight days later when the migration to 

 the ponds reached its maximum, mated pairs were 

 abundant on the streets and elsewhere on their way to 

 the water. Trilling began in 1908 on the twenty-third 

 of April and spawning on the twenty-fifth, ending May 13. 



The seven toads mentioned were the first heard trilling 

 this season. They were sluggish and when taken up 

 between the thumb and finger could not chirp, although 

 they made the attempt. 



The accompanying curves show the number of toads 

 as well as the number of males and females that were 

 found in pond no. 1 on the night of April 24 and suc- 

 ceeding nights (Fig. 1) . Spawn was found here the twenty- 

























































- 































S 





Fig. 1. ( 















' * 7 1 





sixth. The males were most active on this and the night 

 of the twenty-ninth. On these dates they were trilling 

 vigorously and actively swimming about. If they saw 

 an object moving they swam to it with all possible speed. 

 When it was a male, which was usually the case, he was 

 seized, but loosed as soon as he chirped. They even came 



2 This pond is located at the foot of a small steep hill in a pine grove in 

 Park Avenue Place within a hundred yards of a large permanent pond. ^ It 

 is V-shaped, not more than fifteen feet wide by fifty feet long, and during 

 the spawning season was about eighteen inches deep. For the most part it 

 is filled with leaves, some water plants and debris from a near-by dumping 

 ground. Eains are its only source of supply and it goes dry in summer. 



