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 tern por aria or esciLlcnta (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 was collected 

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



