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Hermit Spadefoot — Part 2
A strange weird-looking creature is the Hermit Spadefoot when he is turned out of his ground burrow. At first sight he looks like a small brown ball of earth, but almost immediately air is expelled from the lungs, so that the inflated sides collapse, and two elevations rise at the smaller end and become two round staring eyes (Fig. 13) of so brilliant a gold that they seem wholly out of place in such a dusky surrounding. In the centre of each golden circle is a very narrow black vertical slit, which gradually broadens into an oval black pupil. Awkward hands are lifted one at a time and rubbed over the eyes. The Spadefoot, now quite awake and alert (Fig. 15) begins trying to escape. He does not stealthily creep away as do many of the toads; he does not startle one with a prodigious leap, as do the frogs and tree frogs. He begins sinking out of sight into the soft earth, and in less time than it takes to tell it, has wholly disappeared from view.
If we wait a moment and then remove the earth carefully from over him, we find him cosily settled in his usual hibernating position. His head is bent downward so that his chin rests on his front feet. These feet and the back ones are tucked closely under him, his eyes are shut, and his sides are puffed out because of the expansion of the lungs within.
If we take him out and put him on a piece of paper or some other solid substance, instead of directly on the ground, we can observe the backward digging movement of the feet and can hear the scratching and scraping as the horny parts of the feet (Fig. 19) are vigorously rubbed against the hard surface. By this time, however, the creature is thoroughly awake and greatly frightened. (Fig. 18.) Finding its digging efforts unavailing, it creeps stealthily forward or hops in regular toad fashion for a short distance, and then tries again to dig a burrow in which to hide.
The Hermit Spadefoot is not well known. It burrows into the ground and sleeps days or weeks, perhaps years, at a time. A gravedigger once found one 3 feet 2 inches from the surface of the ground, with no evidence of entrance or exit to the burrow.(Vol. I, No. 7, Bulletin of Amer. Museum of Nat. Hist., Col. Nicholas Pike.) The Spadefoot is seldom discovered in garden or orchard; but it is certainly true that if a Spadefoot toad were turned out of its burrow by the plough, the casual observer would not give it a second glance, because it looks so much like an ordinary dingy brown toad, unless one sees its eyes.
The mystery surrounding the life of the Spadefoot is increased by the fact that when he does leave his burrow it is always under cover of the darkness of night. Toads are lovers of the dusk; the Spadefoot is wholly nocturnal in habit, a fact which might be inferred from the cat-like vertical pupil of the eyes.
There is one time when the Spadefoot Toads make themselves conspicuous. This is when they come out of their burrows, hundreds strong, and go to the ponds or temporary pools for the purpose of depositing the eggs. This time is usually in the spring, (F. S. Smith, April 29, 1879. New Haven, Conn.
C. C. Abbot, May, 1874. April 10, 1884. June 26, 1884. Trenton, N. J.
C. W. Hargitt, August 10, 1887. Martha's Vineyard.
C. S. Brimley, May, 1895. Raleigh, N. C.) and is always coincident with a very heavy rainstorm or with a long-continued, warm drizzling rain. They are likely to remain in the pond only one night, or two at most, but during this time keep up a continual chorus of loud calls that can be heard at a great distance. The Spadefoot Toads swim and float awkwardly, sit on projecting stones and tufts of grass, and in fact turn the dead and shallow temporary pool of the meadow into a scene of great activity. The females make a low, grunting sound; the loud calls are given by the males only. Each call is relatively short, and is somewhat louder than that of the common toad. Its carrying power is greatly enhanced by a throatsac which acts as a resonator. This sac swells to three times the size of the creature's head. The call is often started while the Spadefoot is floating with his body horizontal and his legs outstretched. Increase of air in the throat region changes the centre of gravity so that the body is thrown forcibly and instantaneously into a vertical position in the water.