VEETEBEATA. 
THE NATTER-JACK TOAD. 
Genus HYLODES : Hylodes. — To this belongs Pickering's Hylodes, H. Pickeringi ; brown 
above, tbe color, however, apparently varying at the will of the animal ; feeds on small flies ; 
length of head and body one inch ; including the legs three inches. It is found on the leaves 
of Indian corn, and in grape-houses under the leaves of plants, during the heats of summer ; 
ranges from Massachusetts to Pennsylvania. 
The Cricket Hylodes, H. gryllus — called Peeper and Cricket-Frog in New York, and Savannah- 
Cricket at the South — is a lively, noisy species, frequenting moist wooded places, and is often 
seen on aquatic plants. It is never found on trees, and cannot adhere to the under side of 
smooth surfaces. The H. ocularis is a small species found at the South. 
Genus HYLA : Hyla. — This includes the Northern Tree-Toad, H. versicolor, two inches 
long; body robust, eyes large, color chang- 
ing from gray to green at the will of the 
animal. It feeds on insects, and lives almost 
exclusively on trees, and during damp 
weather is particularly clamorous. The toes 
terminate in round pellets, which operate 
like a boy's sucker, and enable it to adhere 
to smooth surfaces, as the leaves and bark 
of trees, even with its back downward. It 
is shy, and takes long leaps, and often 
alights on perpendicular objects. It possesses 
great ventriloquial powers, and frequently 
deceives the ear of a person who is in pur- 
suit of it. This, with its changes of color, 
which assimilate it to the complexion of 
the object on which it rests, renders its cap- 
ture difficult. Found from Maine to Virginia, and in some of the Western States. 
Tlie Squirrel Tree-Toad, H. squirella, is of a brownish or light ash-color, and is found under 
logs and the bark of decayed trees. It is a southern species. Length, one inch and a quarter. 
The H. femoralis, H. delitescens, and H. viridis are found m the Southern States. 
THE PIPIDvE. 
This family includes the genus PIPA : Pipa, of which the Surinam Toad, P. Americana, is 
a noted example. This is without a tongue, and of a hideous appearance. At the breeding 
season the back of the female exhibits a number of small pits ; into these the male collects the 
THE SQUIRREL TREE-TOAD. 
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