EECEEATIVE SCIENCE. 



49 



THE GEEEN TEEE-FEOG. 



— »>j*q;?»«>i 



Many years ago I made a note of tlie green 

 tree-frog, as one of the desiderata of my 

 little collection ; and, though I inquired 

 often, I never succeeded in obtaining it till 

 this time last year, when a kind letter from a 

 lady informed me of the offer of three fine 

 specimens. I lost no time in accepting the 

 gift, and in a few days they were safely do- 

 miciled with me at Newington. I have de- 

 rived so much amusement from my " sticky- 

 toed " friends, that I believe a brief account 

 of them will be interesting to students of 

 natural history generally, and especially to 

 that section of them who delight in aquaria, 

 and kindred homely pursuits. 



There are several species of frogs which 

 may be collectively described as " green," 

 but the green tree-frog is most distinct in 

 appearance and habit from all the marsh- 

 inhabiting ranas, for it is amphibious in only 

 a qualified degree, and, as its name implies, 

 it lives very much among the branches of 

 trees. It is known among naturalists as 

 Syla arhorea, sometimes as Syla viridis, on 

 account of its bright green colour. It is a 

 native of France and Germany, hence readily 

 adapts itself to the climate of this country, 

 and will, perhaps, some day be acclimated as 

 an addition to our fauna. The only difficulty 

 apparent at present, in regard to its perma- 

 nent location in Britain, is the variableness 

 of our climate ; for this frog becomes tho- 

 roughly torpid in winter, and for that reason 

 continued cold weather is congenial to its 

 constitution. The occasional outbursts of 

 sunshine with westerly winds in winter dis- 

 tiirb its hybernation, and make it active 

 at a season when it ought to be at rest, and 

 hence it is just probable that it may never be- 

 come a permanent resident in these islands. 



Leaving that point to be determined by 

 experience, let me call your attention to the 



pretty creature here figured. His colour is 

 vivid emerald green over the whole of the 

 upper surface of the body, with the exception 

 of two black marks, which extend from the 

 eyes to the inner side of the shoulders. 

 Beneath, his colour is a greenish white, and 

 the skin is semi-transparent, and of a most 

 delicate texture. The eyes are prominent, 

 and of a lustrous black, as beautiful, indeed, 

 as the eyes of a toad, which, to my think- 



ing, are among the most beautiful of aU the 

 eyes in creation, except, of course, the eyes 

 through which a human soul peeps. Hyla 

 arhorea has a particularly neat contour, full- 

 grown specimens are not more than half the 

 size of the common frog, but the structure is 

 more compact and graceful; and when in 

 activity, the long legs and button toes indi- 

 cate at once its chief characteristic, that of 

 climbing and leaping. The activity of the 

 creatiu-e adds to the interest we derive from 



