252 ANOURA. HYLAD^. 



baying of a pack of hounds. During the emission 

 of the sound the skin of the throat is inflated 

 so as to form a sphere nearly as large as the head. 



Some interesting observations on the respira- 

 tion of these animals are recorded by Dr. Town- 

 son. He kept his Tree-frogs in a window, and 

 appropriated to their use a bowl of water, in 

 which they lived. They soon grew quite tame ; and 

 to two that he kept a considerable length of time, 

 and were particular favourites, he gave the names 

 of Damon and Musidora. In the hot weather, 

 whenever they descended to the floor, they soon 

 became lank and emaciated. In the evening they 

 seldom failed to go into the water, unless the 

 weather was cold and damp ; in which case they 

 would sometimes remain out for a couple of days. 

 When they were out of the water, if a few 

 drops were thrown upon the board, they always 

 applied their bodies as close to it as they could ; 

 and from this absorption through the skin, though 

 they were flaccid before, they soon again appeared 

 plump. A Tree-frog that had not been in water 

 during the night was weighed, and then immersed : 

 after it had remained about half an hour in the 

 bowl it came out, and was found to have absorbed 

 nearly half its own weight of water. From 

 other experiments on Tree-frogs, it was dis- 

 covered that they frequently absorbed, by the 

 under-surface only of their bodies, nearly their 

 wdiole weight of water. These animals will even 

 absorb moisture from wetted blotting-paper. 

 Sometimes, with considerable force, they eject 

 water from their bodies, to the quantity of a 

 fourth part or more of their own weight. 



Both Frogs and Toads will frequently suffer 



