Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1886-03-19
SOME CURIOUS THINGS.

'Golng TO dynamite the Slerras
was asked a friend. who, rugged out In
a corduroy suit and mountain leggings,
was betting on suspcious-looking tin
canister.
"Hardly," was the reply. 81 am off
for the day on the mountain on lizard
hunt. l want a whipper-in, so come
along"
care lizards the only inducements?
"Not at all. Take your gun and [
will show you mountain quail that will
do your heart good and perhaps a
glimpse of deer. Why, look at that,
man, ;" said my friend, pointing over
the range where, far away, resting like
dove on the green tips of the Sierra
Madres, was the snow top of old Berna-
dino glistening like gem. "I'll guar
antee a closer view of that, enough to
paysany one for twenty-mile walk:
and more, I'll Introduce you to the tail
tOssers.'
All these inducements proved suf-
ficient, and before the sun had risen
well over the range we were mile up
the canyon.
eff you see lizard or frog or any
thing alive, take it," were my instruc-
tions.
We had taken to the bed of the noun
tain stream that in tens of thousands of
years had made the mighty canyon. 1t
was filled with huge boulders, strewE
and tumbled about in chaotic confusion,
as if stream OF rocks had done the
work, and water was altogether sec
ondary consideration. The rocks had
been polished by the rush and spray of
years, and to bound from one to another
without slipping or falling required no
little skill. AS | was about to take
leap and had my gun well in hand as
help my companion seized me and in an
excited whisper told me to look.
GA rattlesnake?" l asked, hauling
back and sitting down heavily.
CURIOUS CHAEGEABLE TOAD.
"No," was the reply, given in such a
manner that | became convinced that he
saw either a grizzly or mountain lion.
"Don't move" and reaching round he
hauled out, not a weapon, but pocket
microscope, which with great caution
he applied to small bump on boulder
before him.
"Is that what you are breaking a man
all up for9" said /, as the bump became
a frog.
"Is that all?" retorted my friend.
"Why, man, that frog, or tree toad, l
am convinced, is new species. III |
should describe it as Hyla Jonesii you
might perhaps think it Of some import
ance. Why, look at it! It's one of the
most remarkable examples OF protective
resemblance you ever saw"
a close examination of the diminutive
cause of all this excitement showed that
it was indeed wonderfully protected,
and had almost stepped upon the ami
NAL that, safe in its guise, had not
moved. AT casual glance the toad
would have been taken for prominence
OH the boulder, and now that attention
was directed toward it the mimicry
seemed all the more striking, as the ami
NAL almost exactly resembled the stone
in color. The latter was a spotted gran
ite peculiar to the mountains here, the
spots being quite large and pronounced
and of irregular shape, evidently depOs-
its of dark mica, the remainder of the
rock being white or nearly SO. This
mottled surface was reproduced on the
toad's back as if painted, and even the
delicate legs. with their disc-tipped
toes, shared the ornamentation.
"I've seer green tree toads on green
leaves" said my companion, "but this
beats them all. 1t is evidently tree
toad adapted to life among the boulders
of this stream. Now to show you the
perfection of this protection | will start
1t up and see what the result will be-"
The toad was forthwith touched with
twig and with mighty leap landed
upon rock that was nearly white,
round and smooth. We sat down upon
a neighboring boulder and waited for
the change that nature was to make in
the little harlequin. In five minutes by
the watch this hads taken place. The
black spots that had represented the
mica were rapidly fading out, the other
portions also losing their dark tint.
Quickly the change went on and i'm
comparatively short time the spotted
toad was Of almost the exact hue as its
new base and as inconspicuous as it had
been before, aud would, as in the former
case, have been passed by as mere
prominence upon the rock. Another
touch, and the little creature sprang
upon another boulder, from which it
was finally driven upon one almost
black. Again the curious change was
noticed, dark patches coming out and
the skin assuming the same tint as it
had while on the granite. The spots
continued to grow, increasing their di-
ameter until at last they all fused to-
gether and the toad became almost black
and equally as inconspicuous as before.
In an attempt to drive IL upon an alder