166 
THE CHANGEABLE TREE-TOAD. 
buzzing about, the Frog would wake up from his lethargic state, and on a suitable opportunity 
would make a leap at the poor fly, adroitly catch it in his mouth (though he sometimes missed 
his mark), and, I need hardly add, swallow it. On one occasion, I gave my little favorite a 
very large ‘blue-bottle,’ almost as large as himself, but nothing daunted, he caught it in his 
mouth and endeavored to swallow it, though in vain, for had I not been there I verily believe 
he would have been choked. 
“ Before he changed his skin, which he did now and then, his color became much darker 
and looked more dirty, and he went into quite a torpid state, but when the event was over, 
he appeared greener and livelier than ever. One day, after I had had him some time, I 
wa s playing upon the pianoforte, when I was astonished by an extraordinary sound, but on 
looking round I discovered the cause of the great noise, for there was my Frog swollen to an 
immense extent under the chin, and croaking in a very excited manner, making quite a loud 
noise. I mention this circumstance because it has been imagined that a solitary Tree-Frog 
will not croak, but mine certainly proved to the contrary, for though the first croaking was 
evidently the effect of the piano, yet he would frequently croak after that time without being 
excited by any apparent noise whatever. I may here mention that the noise of a quantity of 
Frogs croaking and nightingales singing, has frequently kept me awake for a considerable 
time during a spring night. 
“And now comes the most melancholy part of my story. Leaving my Frog carelessly on 
the window-sill, I went to school ; when I came back there was the glass certainly, and the 
Frog also, but oh! distressingly melancholy to relate, the water was quite hot from the intense 
heat of the sun, and the poor Frog was scorched, or rather boiled to death — he was quite dis- 
colored, being instead of green, a sort of yellow. And thus ends my tale.” 
The color of this species is green above, sometimes spotted with olive, and a grayish -yellow 
streak runs through each eye towards the sides, where it becomes gradually fainter, and is at 
last lost in the green color of the skin. In some specimens there is a grayish spot on the loins. 
Below, it is of a paler hue, and a black streak runs along the side, dividing the vivid green of 
the back from the white hue of the abdomen. 
The Changeable Tree-Toad is a native of many parts of America, being found as far 
north as Canada, and as far south as Mexico. It is a common species, but owing to its 
faculty of assimilating its color to the tints of the object on which it happens to be 
sitting, it escapes observation, and is often passed unnoticed in spots where it exists in great 
numbers. 
This is a curious and noteworthy species, as it possesses the capability of changing its 
tints to so great an extent that its true colors cannot be described. It is usually found on the 
trunks of trees and old moss-grown stones, which it so nearly resembles in color, that it can 
hardly be detected, even when specially sought. The skin of this creature will, in a short 
time, pass from white through every intermediate shade to dark-brown, and it is not an 
uncommon event to find a cross-shaped mark of dark -brown between the shoulders. Old and 
decaying plum-trees seem to be its favorite resting-places, probably because the insects congre- 
gate on such trees. 
It is a noisy creature, especially before rain, and has a curious liquid note, like the 
letter l frequently repeated, and then ending with a sharp, short monosyllable. During 
the breeding season, this Frog leaves the trees and retires to the pools, where it may be 
heard late in the evening. In the winter it burrows beneath the damp soil, and there 
remains until the spring. The contour of this species is very toad-like in shape and general 
appearance, and this resemblance is increased by the skin glands, which secrete a peculiarly 
acrid fluid. 
The upper surface of this creature is, as has already been remarked, too variable for 
description. There is always, however, a little bright yellow on the flanks, and the under 
surface is yellowish-white, covered with large granulations. The length of this species is 
about two inches. 
