The Cambridge natural history, Vol. 08 (of 10)Gadow, Hans
Science
The Cambridge natural history, Vol. 08 (of 10)
Gadow, Hans
Animals
molest smaller frogs of their own kind and of other species. Like many
Amphibia they like a change of diet, and ultimately refuse their food if it
is unvaried. To my surprise my largest specimen, which measures a little
more than 4 inches, takes snails, _Helix virgata_, half-a-dozen at a time,
and on the following day, not during the night, vomits the sucked-out
shells in a lump, like the pellets of birds of prey. During this rather
painful-looking procedure the whole tongue and about half an {201}inch of
the everted gullet are protruded out of the mouth, and are then slowly
withdrawn. After having roamed about all night, they return to their
respective resting-places, where each individual is sure to be found in
exactly the same spot, day after day. They do not mind being looked at, but
if taken up and put back they avoid that place for perhaps a week, taking
shelter somewhere else.
Both sexes have a voice, but that of the female is only a grunting noise,
while the male inflates its gular sac and sends forth a sharp cracking
sound, which can turn into a regular bellowing like the gruff barking of an
angry dog. They bellow at any time of the year, frequently on the approach
of a shower or during a thunderstorm. Certain noises will also induce them
to bark. The rattling produced by the syringing of the greenhouse, sawing
of wood, hammering, the raking of the gravel, or even the scraping of boots
on the gravel-path is liable to start one of the males, and the others are
sure to chime in.
According to Fletcher, _H. coerulea_ and _H. aurea_ lay their eggs in round
white frothy patches, which float in the water, chiefly during the months
of August and September; but when the spring months are very dry, the
pairing is delayed until the following January. Several other Australian
species of _Hyla_, e.g. _H. ewingi_, spawn at any time of the year if the
conditions are favourable. They attach their eggs to submerged blades of
grass or to twigs.
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