HO OUR REPTILES. 



headless, skinles?. and feetless, is then thrown into another tub, 

 acd the operation is repeated on the rest in the same way. 

 Every now and then the artist lays down his knife, and takes up 

 his scales to weigh these animals for his customers, and make 

 his sales. Everything in this civilised country, whether it be 

 gold or silver, geese or frogs, is sold by weight, 



One of the remembrances of our school-days is of 

 one or two of the big boys who were accustomed to 

 astonish their juniors by the singular exhibition of 

 putting little frogs in their mouths, and some- 

 times swallowing them. In Cheshire, we are told, it 

 is still the practise to catch little frogs and place 

 them alive in the mouths of children suffering from 

 the thrash. Of course, this is considered an infal- 

 lible cure, and in some eastern counties the disorder 

 itself is known as " the frog." The victims in these 

 cases being the common frog, that species would 

 appear to have some little claim also to be regarded 

 as edible ; though, on the other hand, if swallowed 

 alive, how can they be said to have been eaten ? 

 N'irnporte ! .a dead rabbit is better than a live frog, 

 as an esculent, provided it is not too " high." 



Frogs and toads had formerly some reputation in 

 medicine, either wholly or in part ; but all belief in 

 their efficacy is now vested in a few obscure matrons, 

 who prescribe for the rustic population in some out 

 of the way villages in agricultural districts. Sic 

 transit gloria mimdi. 



The principal features by which the edible frog 



