20 NATURE STUDY. 



you may be fortunate enough to see him catch something — 

 a butterfly, a grasshopper, even another frog — for he eats 

 almost anything that is alive and conies his way, and is not 

 quite so big as himself. By and by drive him gently into 

 the water and watch him swim. See what long, slow 

 strokes he makes with his hind legs. 



Now catch one, or better three or four, putting them in 

 a small pail. It is alwaj^s best to take a net along — the 

 simplest kind, made of the cheapest netting or screen cloth 

 with a wire ring on the end of a stick, is almost as good as 

 a more costly contrivance. 



Take a frog in the hand. Notice how soft the skin is ; 

 that it is colored above and white beneath. Notice how 

 his color agrees with the plants and soil where he lives, 

 making it harder for birds and snakes to find him. 



Find the three parts of the fore limb — arm, forearm and 

 hand. Count the four toes, or fingers, from inside out- 

 ward. In some individuals the fourth finger is much 

 thicker and stouter than in others. These are males. 



Find the thigh, leg and foot in the hind limb. Count 

 the five toes, and notice how they are webbed for swim- 

 ming, and how very long they are. 



Open the big mouth, and feel the small teeth in the up- 

 per jaw ; notice that there are none in the lower jaw. Pull 

 the tongue outward — soft and white, attached at the front 

 end and free behind, so that it can be thrust out very far 

 and very quickly. 



Touch the eye gently with a pencil or small stick, and 

 see what happens. Sometime look for the third eyelid in 

 a turtle or any bird, and see how it resembles this eyelid 

 or membrane in the frog. 



The ears are back of the eyes, large and nearly round. 

 They are made of a thin skin, or membrane, stretched 

 tightly over a bony ring. This is like a drum, and is, in 

 fact, called a drum — the tympanum. 



These are a few of the things that may be learned about 

 the frogs in a pleasant ramble on a summer day. 



