From: srh3@Ra.MsState.Edu (Steven R. Hollis)
Subject: The Great Miss. Frog Hunt
Organization: Mississippi State University
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 05:08:41 GMT

     I have a southern hognose snake, and as most of you herp lovers know, they
eat toads and frogs.  That's about it.  With winter coming on, I have been 
concerned about stocking up on these amphibians to keep him happy through the
winter.
     On the way home from work tonight I was taking a shortcut and was on a
sparsely travelled blacktop road.  It was a dreary, rainy night, and as I 
drove along, I saw a few critters hopping in the road:
   " Frogs......in November??"  I remmeber thinking.  I frantically
felt around in my car (the inside light doesn't work) for something to put 
a couple in :  "I have GOT to put a pillowcase or other critter sack in here
for occasions like this."  I finally settled on an binoculars case I keep
my raptor watching binoculars in.  After about 40 minutes I had secured
two of the hopping critters a southern toad and one of the largest 
leopard frogs I have ever seen.  I know you're thinking "40 minutes!! For
two lousy frogs !!!!"   Let me tell you, running around in the rain trying to 
grab critters that don't want to be grabbed is harder than it first seems.
     In my time of hunting I had time to reflect, and I composed a list
drawing upon my experience of a few tips for the rainy night frog hunter.
This is going to sound a bit bizarre, but I promise I am amking none of this up
This all happened.



   1.  Take a flashlight.  I lost no telling how many of these guys when they
made it across the road and got in the grass on the right-of-way.

   2.  Know your frogs jumping habits.  As strange as it seems, one can learn
to tell the species of frog at a distance by watching it jump.  The southern
toad has a low, skimming jump, staying close to the road, while the leopard frog
has a high, arcing jump.

   3. When you put your second frog in the container, make sure the first
one doesn't get out.  I lost a nice leopard frog this way.  O.K. granted I
was trying to put them in an empty binoculars case.

   4. Watch for other cars.  I was about to leap out of my car to get a frog
when oncoming headlights approached.  I didn't get the frog afterward 
because......well, let's just say I didn't have a spatula.  *eewwww*

   5. Don't drive to fast.  Watch out for those depressed little frogs who
decide to end it all on your whitewalls.  There is only one thing worse
than running over the frog you were hoping to catch..........skidding 
on him.   >:-)

  Speaking of squished toadies..........

   6. Make very sure of what you are about to pick up.  I discovered that 
some run-over frogs retain there frog-like shape, and don't fall apart
until you've mistaken them for live ones.

   7. Don't be afraid to grab hold of those suckers once you're sure they're 
alive.  In the rain, these guys get slick.

   8.  Know you're car.  You know the 'P'ark and 'R'everse are right next
to each other on the gearshift.  In my haste to grab the snake-food before
it hopped out of headlight view, a couple of times I found myself running
after my car.  (Imagine explaining to the Insurance man how you're car ended
up--by itself-- in a ditch)

   9.   Careful on the overshot frog.  I stopped a little late for a couple, and wondered "Was that one alive???   **  Shift into reverse  **  Well, .....
he was!!!  *grimace*

  10.  Have a story ready.  Luckily I didn't get confronted, but I was prepared:
"Hi Officer.  Why am I out in the middle of a neighborhood driving back and 
forth with my emergency blinkers on?  I am a biology student hunting frogs
and didn't want other cars to hit me from behind.  No, really...I promise
OW!!!  Hey !  My arm doesn't go that far back!!   WHoah!!


Ah, well I only got two like I said (not counting the one that got away)
Not enough to keep the hog-nose for the winter so I will probably be
out there another night before JAck Frost moves in

Thanks for reading...hope you enjoyed it

Steve

--
============================================================================
Steve Hollis---Your friendly          |  "What for you say you monkey, when
neighborhood zoology major/lit minor  |   you got little powder puff tail
srh3@ra.msstate.edu                   |   like rabbit----RABBIT?"