The Coolidge examiner., 1933-03-10

acteristic of the adult frog. the
staring eyes acquired lids and
nictitating membrane. a tympanum
appeared, a definite color pattern
showed on the skin, and some
glandular cells arranged them
selves in characteristic roughened
areas all over the back.
Only the tail remains to tell of
his former Aquatic habits. Day by
day 1t, too. is absorbed into the
body, just as were the gills In the
very early stages. until at last our
little frog Is completely metamor-
phosed and can go freely on shore
with his brothers to catch flies
among the plants bordering his an
cestral pool.
1t is now the end of July, and
for the next two or three months his
only occupation is eating and pre-
venting himself from being eaten
enough to keep him busy and on the
alert every instant.
At the approach OF the sharp au-
tumn weather he is about half an
inch in length and half-grown.
While he has no voice as yet. the
mating call of his elders may occa-
sionally be heard In the pool as late
as September. for frogs are active
over a long period of the year, and
the breeding season may be said TO
last from April TO September. reach
Ing peak at several different
times, as warm weather and heavy
rainfall favor it,
At the outset of winter everything
Is silent, but with sleep, not death.
Near the border of the pond. buried
under logs and stones In the mud.
the little frogs have begun hiberna-
tion for the winter. wise prov-
sion OF nature slows down their life
processes to suit them to this COM
plete inactivity and apparent Inani-
nation.
Many Species Are Known.
While there are about two thou
sand species of tailless amphibians.
we lack corresponding number OF
common names for them. We must
perforce call everything by the
name of frog" or toad although
the several families grouped to-
gether as "toads." for instance, may
be as different structurally and in
habits from the true toad. as the
lion Is different from the camel, al.
though both are mammals.
While most tailless amphiblans de.
posit their eggs In water. with the
tailed aquatic tadpole stage inter
vening between egg and adult. there
Is one tropical American genus. Ell
eutherodactylus. in which the young
frog completes his metamorphosis
entirely inside the egg capsule. and
when II Is finally time for him to
sally forth he comes out and hops
away among the tree tops with no
tail to impede him.
Other tropical frogs lay their
eggs in the rain-filled axis Of giant
palm leaves perhaps hundred feet
high in the air. Here IL is truly
case of rock-a-by baby on the tree
top to the little frog baby.
In his wind-rocked cradle of rain
water he may have strange bedfel.
lows. Such bronchial reservoir
from Jamaica yielded a young Eleu-
therodactylus and tadpoles belong
ing to two species of frogs. some
small crabs, grasshoppers. arboreal
cockroaches. tarantula. and some
earthworms. which live high in the
air in the quart or two of soil and
water which collects in the juno
tions of leaves with stem.
"Showers" of frogs and toads have
been mentioned In the literature of
very early times, and. while some of
the tales are exaggerated. we know
that showers of organic matter actin
! ally do occur when the entire con-
tents Of pool are sucked up by
whirlwind and dropped perhaps
miles away from their point of
origin.
Peculiar superStitions exist about
toads and frogs in many countries.
Since most races of men observe
closely only those creatures which
are either directly useful to them or
potentially injurious. the ma aiority of
the amphibians escape anything re-
sembling close and protracted study
until relatively recent years 1t was
not until about two centuries ago
that thP facts of Information were
definitely known to science. Befor'
that time IL was believed that frogs
were prorreated from the mud-an
idea proposed by no less an observer
than the illustrious Aristotle him
self