1899-1 goo. | Notes on the Frog. 99 
into a tub in the beer-cellar. There they lived, being fed on meat several 
_ days, till one evening, on sending for a glass of the all-refreshing fluid, up 
comes John with half a smile on his face, and simpers out: ‘‘ If you please, 
sir, I have brought the beer, but I have upset the tadpoles.” 
On arriving at the scene of the disaster, there were the poor things high 
_ and dry on the floor. I restored them to their tub, but forgot to put back 
their meat. The next morning I found some that had not recovered from 
their accident, and round the bodies of their departed brethren were 
 erowded the cannibal survivors, eating and pulling away each for himself. 
After this I left them much to themselves, and their numbers dimin- 
ished considerably, the cook’s opinion being as usual that that omniv- 
orous creature ‘“‘the cat” had a hand in it, bringing forward as an 
- argument, which is not strictly zoological as applied to tadpoles, that the 
“cat is fond of fish.” 
Now I believe there are many who, upon hearing this read 
or reading it for themselves, would say that the writer was not 
avery advanced student in natural history, or at any rate not 
a careful observer. That was my first thought. I may add 
that it was one of my little girls who read the paragraph to 
me, not naming the author. Could it be imagined there was 
any attempt to imitate nature in emptying a “quart of tad- 
poles” into a tub in a beer-cellar, which is usually poorly 
lighted, if at all? The story about the servant upsetting the 
tub was all the more reason that he should have put them in 
a better place. I think we may conclude there was little or 
no light, hence no chance of vegetable growth for the tadpoles 
to feed upon. Was it any wonder they should have become 
cannibals, as it is said they did? But seeing his careful 
servant upset the tub once, he may have done it oftener, which 
would account for their loss. It need not cause wonder that 
wrong ideas are spread abroad after such a study of tadpoles 
as that. I can assure you it surprised me very much when 
‘I read the name of Frank Buckland at the end of that 
lesson. 
_ Now for my own notes. About the middle of April 1897 
I accompanied several members of the Society to Balerno 
Moss, where we came upon a small pool almost filled with 
frog-spawn. I made the remark that it would be a sight 
when the tadpoles were hatched, for there would scarcely be 
room for them to swim about. Some one replied that the 
tadpoles would soon cure that, as they would devour one 
another. I filled a tube with the ova, and took it with me, 
Be vOL. IV. H 
