COMMON FROG. 1 07 



common one, and it has generally been referred to the 

 Rana esculenta, or Edible Frog of the continent of Europe. 

 Thus Mr. Don, in his account of the Plants and Animals 

 found in Forfarshire, mentions the Edible Frog as to be 

 met with in the lakes of that neighbourhood, although 

 rather rare ; and both Shaw and Pennant allude to it, the 

 former as being " rare in England," the latter simply in- 

 corporating it amongst his British Reptiles, but without 

 mentioning its locality ; and Dr. Fleming merely observes 

 that it is " not so common as the preceding." In July 

 1833, Dr. Stark exhibited at the Zoological Society a 

 skeleton of the Scottish species, the following meagre ac- 

 count of which, occurring in the Proceedings of the So- 

 ciety, is all that remains of that gentleman's observations. 

 u Dr. Stark exhibited the skeleton of the Edible Frog, 

 Rana esculenta (Linn.), and stated that this species is 

 found in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh, whence his 

 specimen was obtained. He pointed out some of the 

 differences between its osseous structure and that of the 

 Common Frog, Rana temporaria, Linn." 



Thus one observer after another has gone on, each copy- 

 ing the error of his predecessor, until Mr. Jenyns sug- 

 gested the probability that the species described as R. 

 esculenta, by the only two persons who have assigned any 

 locality for it, may possibly be a new one. Pennant 

 describes a Frog under the name of the " Great Frog," 

 as a native of the woods near Loch Ransa in the Isle of 

 Arran ; but he does not give any authority, and from his 

 description, which, however, is very slight, there is no 

 doubt that the animal was nothing more than the Common 

 Toad. 



Being naturally anxious to ascertain so interesting a 

 point, I determined upon procuring all the information in 



