No. 14. — North American Wood Frogs. 
By Reginald Heber Howe, Jr. 
Prof. Spencer F. Baird described (Proc. acad. nat. sci. Phil., 
April, 1854, vol. 7, p. 62), a wood frog, Rana cantabrigensis , 
“ Hob. Cambridge, Mass. (Collection of Prof. Agassiz.) ” The 
type has been lost to all intents and purposes, although it may be 
an old, shrunken, and unlabeled specimen found with a lot from the 
Saskatchewan, Can., in the collection of the Museum of comparative 
zoology. 
Baird’s diagnosis answers to this specimen very well and is as 
follows: — 
“15. Rana cantabrigensis , Baird. — Above yellowish brown. 
A dark vitta through the eye, margined below by whitish. Lat¬ 
eral fold of skin light colored, as is also a median dorsal line 
extending from the snout to the anus. A narrow light line along 
the posterior faces of the thigh and leg. Tibia half the length of 
body. General appearance and size of R. sylvatica. 
Hob. Cambridge, Mass. (Collection of Prof. Agassiz.) ” 
The examination of a large series of Rana silvatica from New 
England does not show a single specimen approaching the sup¬ 
posed type in characteristic measurements or color or correspond¬ 
ing with the diagnosis of it, and the conclusion is reached that 
Baird’s R. cantabrigensis never came from Cambridge, but prob¬ 
ably from the w T est or northwest of North America, and Cam¬ 
bridge, Mass., the habitat given, probably arose from the specimen 
being in the collection of Professor Agassiz. Having a large series 
of Rana silvatica I give for comparative purposes a detailed 
description of this closely allied form. 
Rana silvatica Leconte, Ann. lyc. nat. hist., N. Y., 1825, vol. 
1, p. 282. 
Measurements, average :— 
Body, snout to anus 
F emur 
Tibia 
4.2 cm. 
2.3 cm. 
2.5 cm. 
7.8 cm. 
Leg and foot 
Form.— Head. Width equal to the distance from the snout 
to the axilla. Eyes invisible from ventral view r . Nares half way 
