THE COMMON FROG. 95 



behave better in captivity than this, as the following 

 testimony will prove : — 



In a fern-case, about three feet by one foot in area, I kepi two 

 toads, a small frog 1 , and a number of newts. The frog did not 

 appear fond of the water ; the newts would not go in, and if 

 thrown in, immediately crawled out again. The toads, on the 

 contrary, appear to enjoy an occasional bath, remaining in the 

 water, with the moath and eyes above the surface, for several 

 hours together. They lived, the one for about a year, the other 

 for nearly two. The newts dropped off one by one, the last 

 surviving for, I think, upwards of eighteen months. The frog 

 lived for several months, and was a very interesting creature. 

 When on the upper part of the fern-fronds, where he delighted 

 to bask, he appeared of a distinctly greenish tint ; but when on 

 the soil, at the bottom, the hue changed to so decided a brown 

 that it was difficult to find him. During the time that these 

 creatures were among the ferns, I am not aware of having seen 

 an aphis, whereas since their decease, the young fronds (espe- 

 cially those of the Polypods) are, during the summer months, 

 infested with them.* 



The voice of the frog is not generally regarded as 

 particularly charming, and its vocal efforts are com- 

 monly called " croaking ; " but there is another 

 kind of " croaking," uttered by animals of a much 

 higher order in creation, which we regard as far less 

 musical. A concert of frogs, heard remote from 

 towns and railways, on a quiet evening, is not so 

 inharmonious as " croaking " might lead us to 

 suppose. There may be something in association, 

 being ourselves of East Anglian birth, but we cer- 

 tainly like to hear an occasional " frog concert." 



* Hardwicke's Science Gossip, vol. i., p. 86. 



