io8 THE COMMON FROG. [chap. 



In 1872 Dr. Giinther observed a Frog busily occu- 

 pied, and industriously moving its hind legs in a 

 singular manner. On approaching closely he found 

 it had constructed for itself a shelter in the shape of 

 a little bower, formed of dexterously interwoven 

 blades of grass. The circumstances have been kindly 

 transmitted to the author by the observer, in a private 

 letter, as follows : — - 



" The 'nest-building' Frog was a large example of 

 Rana temporaria or cscidenta (I forget which), which I 

 had brought into the garden behind my house. It 

 had taken up its abode in grass, near the edge of a 

 tank, from which the turf sloped abruptly to the level 

 of the garden. When I first disturbed the Frog from 

 its lair, I found that it had lain in a kind of nest, 

 which I cannot better describe than by comparing it 

 to the form of a hare, with the grass on the edges so 

 arranged that it formed a sort of roof over it. Some- 

 times the animal returned to it, sometimes it prepared 

 a new form close to the old one, which remained 

 visible for several days until it was obliterated by the 

 growing grass. 



'' When in its nest, nothing could be seen of the 

 Frog but the head. 



'* One day I poked the Frog out of its lair ; after 

 two or three jumps it returned to the old spot, and, 

 squatting down on the grass, by some rapid move- 

 ments of the hind legs it gathered the grass nearest 

 to it, pressing it to its sides, and bending it over its 

 body so as to be partially hidden, 



** In all these operations no material w^as collected 

 by the animal for its nest, but only the growing grass 



