r.sKr:\i. 
SCIlvXCK Bl'LLETIN 2. ,1 
•u^l a 
ied. Here was an instano 
iiiith or 
six weeks, ]irobabl>- on act 
24 BROOKLYN INSTITl TI 
hundred sr.mll tadi».les that 
breeding season del.wed fur a month or six weeks, ]irobabl>- on account of 
the lack of a suitable pool. 
The summer of lyii was exceiHionally dry, but large quantities of 
rain fell during the last week of August, and flooded the salt meadows 
around Patchogue to a dejjth of several inches. The last hard rain fell 
on September first, and on that evening frogs swarmed over the ground at 
the edges of the salt meadows, and sang in a chorus that was described to 
me as being far more nois>- and jiersistent than the sjiring chorus had been. 
The frogs also paired together, as in the breeding .seasim. I was first 
informed about the chorus on vSejitember .sixth. I went at once to the 
meadows and found that the sdumls \\ere made li>- green frogs and 
leopard fn.gs. The clmrus snundcd almost as loud as in the s]n-ing, but 
I was told that its \dlume was far less than it had been a few da> s 
Tllic \v.\nI)i:kI-\c.s di- i-kocs. I'rogs are su])po,sed to l)e strictl\- 
water animals, \et the>' sometimes wander far from their pools. The 
Long Island Rail Road experimental farm is located ea.st of Medford, 
about two miles from the nearest marsh or bod\" of water, and is sur- 
rounded with dry woodland. When a swimming pool was built on the 
l)ropert\-, numbers of wood frogs ])rompth- made it their headquarters, 
and v.ith them there came se\-eral green frogs. Marsh frogs have been 
found in the dr\ woods with sufficient frequency to justif\' the assertion 
that the\- sometimes wander far from their pools. 
How TO FIND FROGS .VND TOADS. Frog and toad orchestras ])er- 
form onh' for their own edification. The\- resent intruders and sidk in 
silence at the first intiriiation of (ibser\ntion (.>r applause, few jiersons 
e\-er .see a frog or a toail in the act of singing, although nearl\' e\-eryl)od>- 
has a vague notion that the sounds coming from marshes in the spring 
are frog songs. But there is no diflicultx' in observing any kind of frog 
or toad during his vocal ])erformance. Co out after dark with a bic\de 
lam]., and walk sl..wl> and (piietl\ uy to the source of the .sound. The 
only per.sons who cannot find the aniraals 1i> this method are th.ise whci 
cannot locate the direction frorii which the sound comes. A frog or a 
toad does not mind a light, or the sound of low talking. l.)Ut it is afltected 
bv a .slight jarring of the water. If e\-er\ motion of the feet is made 
gently and deliberately-, the animals will .show no signs of alarm on the 
near approach of a light, but will all.iw themselves to be ob.served and 
jihoiographed. The\ will not even wink an e\ e when a powerful flash- 
light is set off within two feet of them. 
