Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1898-03-25
northern frogs. and when full grown

heI IL VIII Welgn from nalI pound TO
two pounds. The color of this frog
varies from light green to deep
olive, and some are almost black.
1t is well-known fact that the coat
OF frog, like that of the chameleon,
assumes the color of it's surroundings.
Thus the frogs that have their haunts
| about rocks and driftwood are always
| dark in color, while those keeping
among the grasses and in the clear wa
ter are of lighter hues. The female is
handsomely striped in yellow and dark
green, while the male has duller stripes,
and its under parts are yellow instead
of white.
An interesting feature of the frog
| family is it's peculiar form of ears.
These consist of thin, semi-transparent
disks situated just back of the eyes,
| and are sometimes SO nearly transpa-
rent that one may look through them
into the cavities of the head. These
| disks are the ear-drums, and are more
| prominent in the bullfrog than in any
| other of it's species. The disk is usual
| W surrounded by a bright yellow circle,
and this mark sometimes proves ia
| tai one, for by its attractive color the
hunter is enabled to detect the timid
creature when otherwise it would have
been overlooked.
1t was the bullfrog with which we
wished to stock our farm, and the
long-leapers were wholly ignored in our
excursions along the bayous Provid-
| ing ourselves with light skiff, po-
lice lantern and a burlap bag, we began
! our work when night had fully set in.
/ By its loud croaks the frog is easily
located; the skiff approaches lightly,
and the rays of the lantern are turned
on him. For moment he is bewil-
dered by the sudden glare of light, and
can be picked up by hand and placed in
the burlap bag, a loud wall being his
only protest. Sometimes large assem-
bly, can be gathered in before they re-
cover their wits sufficiently to escape.
They are usually found sitting in shall
low water, or on sunken logs or rocks,
and with head and shoulders above the
surface.
In this way we captured many hun
dreds, and in short time our farm"
was fairly alive with the noisy prison
ers.
A frog Is said to be always hungry.
Its food consists of insects, worms and
crawfish. When hungry, it will, like
the fish, devour flesh of it's own kind. 1t
catches insects by means of peculiarly
constructed tongue, which is attached
to the jaws by the outer instead of the
inner end, the loose end resting in the
throat. The tongue has viscid coat
ing, and when hurled at an insect sell
dom fails to get it.
The crawfish is the frogs favorite
food, on which it fattens rapidly. 1t
is also quite fond of fish, and will lie
in wait for school of minnows to ap-
pear in the shallow water, when it sud
denly leaps among them and secures
meal before the fish can escape.
If a frog finds that it has seized and
/ is attempting to swallow something
hurtful or distasteful, it will remove
the obnoxious object by inserting it's
fore-paws into the throat, and deftly
lifting it out.
| Though it is always wary, and ready
to take to water at the slightest sign
of danger, the frog can be tanned. Be
fore the first summer passed, Bob
White had formed the acquaintance of
a number of the oldest frogs, some of
whom became so gentle as to take food
from his hand.
| Once each week they were fed craw-
| fish. Before throwing the repast into
| the water, Bob would ring a tiny bell,
which was signal for a general rush
of frogs toward him, all eager for their
"crusty" meal.
A novel sight indeed is frog fight,
which usually ensues when a lot of
strange frogs are placed in the water.
The ''old settlers eye the strangers
jealously for a while, and then a gen.
eral attack is made to rout the intrud-
ers. The frogs strike terrific blows
with their hind feet, and utter low,
cluttering cry during the engagement.
The fight begins at the edge of the
water, and ceases only when the COM
| batants get into deep water, or their
strength becomes exhausted, when they
dispense, each to its quiet bog. Frogs
are seldom killed in battle, but are
frequently crippled, and occasionally
one loses limb. The bullfrog develops
from the tadpole, like all other species
of the frog family Early in the sum-
mer the eggs appear as black globules
surrounded by Shiny mass floating
on the water. AS summer advances
this frog-nest expands and gradually
assumes the shape of a ball.
BY the first of August the ball has
grown very much, and will be from
twelve to fourteen inches in diameter.
1t is no longer motionless, for those
black globules have also increased in
size, and each contains frog in it's
first form, trying to break from its
nembranous cell. Hitler and thither
the ball rolls, until suddenly the sur
face of the water becomes alive with
tiny, black, fishlike creatures which we
call tadpoles.
They at once become the prey of fish
and snakes, and only small proportion
of their number live to attain the happy
| state of full-6edged frog. But the