104 0UR REPTILES. 



and entered the meadow whence the sound pro- 

 ceeded, but soon returned and informed Mr. Newton 

 that the sound proceeded from a pond, and that the 

 musicians were edible frogs. 



Of course (writes the latter gentleman) I went immediately to 

 satisfy myself, and there, sure enough, were the frogs — some 

 swimming to and fro in the water— some sitting on the aquatic 

 plants, with which the pond was choked, and these last were ex- 

 ceedingly noisy, puffing out their faucial sacs, like so many 

 dwellers in the cave of GEolus. After observing them for a little 

 while, we tried to obtain some specimens, but herein fortune 

 favoured the frogs. We had no aggressive weapons beyond a 

 walking-stick and an umbrella, and they were wary to a degree, 

 and exceedingly active. However, by persevering we became 

 possessed of four individuals, three, I regret to say, dead, and 

 one, an indiscreet youth, whom we found rambliog about the 

 grass alive. We retired with our spoils, the deceased, were de- 

 cently embalmed, and are now in the Norfolk and Norwich 

 Museum. 



He afterwards relates how he made his discovery 

 known to Mr. J. H. (xurney, and learnt from him 

 that many years before Mr. George Berney had im- 

 ported a number of these reptiles alive, and liberated 

 them in this neighbourhood. Application to Mr. 

 Berney educed the foregoing account of his introduc- 

 tion of edible frogs into this country. 



How far the facts above related, adds Mr. Newton, will serve 

 to answer the inquiry propounded nearly twelve years since by 

 Mr. J. Wolley {Zoologist, p. 1821), "Is the edible frog a true 

 native of Britain ? '' I do not presume to say, but I will merely 

 draw attention to one point, namely, that as appears from Mr. 

 Berney's letter, upwards of 1,500 edible frogs, besides spawn, 

 had been by him alone imported into the East of England, some 

 of them six years, and all more thin a whole year, before Mr. 0. 



