Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1886-04-23
A CHANGEABLE TOAD.
Interesting Account of a Queer
California Frog.
One of the Most Remarkable Examples of
Protective EeSem blauce-A Lizard
Hunters Unexpected and VAL
.uable Discovery.
sierra Madre (Calj Cor. Philadelphia
Times

-uable Discovery.
Isierra Madre (CaLj Cor. Philadelphia
Times.l
"Going to dynamite the Sierras" was
asked a friend, who, rugged out in a cordu.
roy suit and mountain leggings, was belt
ing on a suspicious-looking tin canister.
Hardly" was the reply. 81 am off for
the day on the mountain on lizard hunt.
want n whipper-in, so come along"
"Are lizards the only inducements"
"Not at all. Take your gun and I'll show
you mountain quail that will do your heart
good, and, perhaps, glimpse of a deer"
All these inducements proved sufficient,
and before the sun had risen well over the
range we were a mile up the canyon.
"If you see a lizard or frog or any
thing alive, take il" were my instructions.
We had taken to the bed of the noun
tain streams that in tens of thousands of
years had made the mighty canyon. 1t
was filed with huge powders, strewn and
tumbled about in chaotic confusion, as if a
stream of rocks had done the work, and
water was altogether secondary consd-
alton. The rocks had beenpolished 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 a leap and had my gun well
in hand as a help my companion seized me
and in an excited whisper told me to look.
"a rattlesnake:" | asked, hauling back
and sitting down heavily.
"No," was the reply, given in such a
manner that became convinced that he
saw either a grizzly or u mountain lion.
"Don't move," and reaching around he
hauled out, not a weapon, but pocket mi
croscope, which with great caution he ap-
Piled to a small bump on a boulder before
him.
SIS that what you are breaking a man
all up for?" said /, as the bump became a
frog.
"Is that all:" retorted my friend. why,
man, that frog, or tree toad, am con-
vinced, is a new species. If l should de-
scribe itas Hyla Jonesii you might per-
haps think it of some Importance. Why,
look at it4 It's one of the most remarkable
examples IF protective resemblance you
ever saw."
A close examination of the diminutive
cause of all this excitement showed that il
was indeed wonderfully protected, and
had almost stepped upon the animal that,
safe in its disguise, had not moved. At a
casual glance the toad would have been
taken for a prominence on the boulder,
and now that attention was directed
toward it the mimlcry seemed all
the more striking, as the animal
almost exactly resembled the stone in
color. The latter was spotted granite
peculiar to the mountains here, the spots
being quite large and pronounced and of
irregular shape, evidently deposits of dark
mica, the remainder of the rock being
white or nearly so. This mottled surface
was reproduced on the toad's back as il
painted, and even the delicate legs, with
the c-tipped toes, shared the ornamen-
tation.
"I've seen green tree toads on green
leaves" said nay companion, "but this
beats them all. 1t is evidently tree toad
adapted to life among the powders OF
this stream. Now to show you the perfec-
tion of this protection | will start il up and
see what the result viii be-"
The toad was forthwith touched with a
twig and with a mighty leap landed upon
rock that was nearly white, round and
smooth. We sat down. upon neighbor-
ing bowlder and waited for the change
that nature was to make in the little harle-
quin. In FIVE minutes by the watch this
had taken place. Tie black spots that
had repre- ented the mica were rapidly
fading out, the other portions also losing
their dark tint. Quickly the change went
on, and in a comparatively short time the
spotted toad was of almost the exact hue
as its new ba Sc and as inconspicuous as il
d nd 81,
former case, have been passed by as q
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 bad while on the granite. The
spots continued to grow, increasing their
diameter 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 it upon an alder il
finally escaped.
81 have no doubt" said the lizard
hunter, "that it would adapt itself to
changes of color equally well. How is il
done: Well, there are different opinions.
The method is found in a large variety OF
animals, especially lizards, though fishes
have it to certain extent. The skin OF
animals contains pigment and the cells are
more or less under the control of the
nerves, so to speak. That is, under cer-
tain conditions some cells expand, while
those containing pigment of an
other color contract, and thus il
pigment cells are arranged in the
skin in layers you can easily see how Ger.
tain changes take place. You must beal
in mind, however, that these changes ar,
intuitive on the part of the animal; it car
not help it. 1t does not deliberately hor
on to a white stone when black, and con.
tort itself in any way to produce a change
yet the eye is really the medium, and tn,
secret is, according to my ideas-and they
are not mine exclusively-that the cell
ore extremely sensitive to variations o
color. Thus when the toad leaps from
black surface to white the change is OBJ
served by the eye, transmitted to the brain
and by the sensitive nerves to the cells
producing the change Our common anoli
will assume almost any tint of green O.
brown and a variety of other shades. Tha
the eye is the medium of change is yer,
easily shown and has been demonstrates
by experiment. II you should destroy tb
eye of this toad it would leap from rock {,
without any perceptible change, and tn
experiment has been tried on fish by sew
oring the sensitive nerves, by which stripe
or spots r-ere produced at viii by the ex
perimenter."
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