CHAPTER XI. 
TOAD-FROGS AND DISC-TONGUED FROGS. 
HE Brown Mud Frog (Pelobates fuscus) is a member of 
the family Pelobatide, or Toad-Frogs, Batrachians 
which are in some respects like Toads, and in others 
similar to Frogs. The genus felobates numbers only two 
species, both of which are natives of Europe, but are not 
found in Britain. They have neither tympanums nor vocal sacs. 
Their bodies are smooth, their fingers free, and their toes are very 
fully webbed, but are unprovided with disks. As a rule these 
Toad-Frogs only enter the water during the breeding season, and 
their eggs, like those of the Common Toad, are deposited in 
strings, which the male is said to take from the female and wind 
round the aquatic plants growing at the water’s edge. The 
tadpoles appear in about a week, and, though the hatching of the 
eggs is rapid, the animals spend a comparatively long time in 
their tadpole-hood—from four to five months. These Toad-Frogs 
have a curious means of defence. For example, when they are 
seized or handled roughly, they make a cry like the mewing of a 
small kitten, and at the same time emit an odour similar to that 
of garlic, sometimes so powerful as to affect the eyes. 
These Batrachians are great burrowers, being assisted in their 
labours of excavation by the formation of their feet. They seem 
to prefer a sandy soil. They generally leave an opening to their 
