BRITISH AMPHIBIANS 
wanderings. I cannot think it is nearly so well dis- 
tributed as Rana temporia, but it may be that, unless 
closely examined, some confusion between these two 
species occurs. It is certainly most common in the 
Eastern Counties. The Edible Frog is much more fond 
of water than its commoner relative, and its chief char- 
acteristics are “the pointed tips of the toes, smooth 
under-surface of the body, a broad glandular fold along 
the sides, and the marbling of the thighs.” ‘The hind 
@> nig 
= IY 
—— 
Edible Frog Fig a 
feet are completely webbed (those of the Common Frog 
are only partly so), and the male has a conspicuous 
globular sac on either side of the head. This is the 
external vocal apparatus with which it croaks. It has a 
louder and more musical note than that of its cousin. 
The colour is subject to considerable variation. ‘The 
upper parts may be bronze-brown, greenish, or olive, 
with spots or marbling of black, or dark brown. ‘There 
are conspicuous light stripes along the back. ‘The under 
42 
