IZ COMMON FROG. Class III. 



to the country people by the name of the Paddock 

 Moon, I am informed that for that period, their 

 months are fo clofed, that no force (without kil- 

 ling the animal) will be capable of opening them. 



Morton* endeavours to find a reafon for their 

 filence, but tho' his facts are true, he is unfortu- 

 nate in his philofophy. Frogs are certainly endued 

 (as he well obferv^d) with a power of living a 

 good while under water without refpiration, which 

 is owing to their lungs being compofed of a feries 

 of bladders: but he miftakes the nature of air, when 

 he affirms that they receive a quantity of cool air, 

 and dare not open their mouths for a month, 

 from a dread of admitting a warmer into their 

 lungs. It is hardly necefTary to fay, that in what- 

 ever ftate the air was received, it would affirftilate 

 itfelf to the external atmofphere in a fhort time. 

 We muft leave the fa£t to be accounted for by 

 farther experiments. But from what we do know, 

 we may partly vindicate 'Tbeophraftus, and other 

 antients, about the filence of the frogs at Seriphus. 

 That philofopher affirms it, but afcribes it to the 

 coldnefs of the waters in that ifland : Now when 

 Monfieur tfournefort was there, the waters were 

 lukewarm, and the frogs had recovered their 

 voices f. Is it not probable that Theophrajlus 

 might be at Seriphus at that feafon when the frogs 

 were mute, and having never obferved it elfewhere, 



* Hijl, Northampt. 441. 

 f Tourneforfs voj, I. 142. 



might 



