68 



FOOD 



Frogs, toads, and newts consume snails, slugs, insects, 

 worms and almost any kind of small invertebrate animal. 

 The prey of the frog is caught by the tongue, which is free 

 behind but is fastened to the mouth in front. It is suddenly 

 flicked out and drawn back with a fly or some other morsel 

 of food attached to it. The tongue may be thrown out as far 

 as an inch from the edge of the mouth and whipped back 

 almost immediately with the prey curled in it. It is covered 

 with a sticky secretion to which the prey adheres. Small 

 animals pass straight into the gullet without touching the 



,^v';u#%.^■;/:;^>i■•■^!;/:•'l■^;''•^■^lCr/•>^:■y^ V 



Fig. 20. The Warty Newts, Malge cristata. 1. Female. 2. Male at the 

 breeding season with the frills well developed. (From Gadow.) 



teeth, but large animals such as slugs and worms are caught 

 between the teeth and the upper edge of the roof of the 

 mouth. Frogs and toads have a curious way of making sure 

 that their larger prey does not escape them. The orbit which 

 lodges the eye has no bone at the bottom, so that the eye can 

 descend into the cavitv of the mouth. There is a muscle 

 known as the " retractor bulbi," which pulls the e3^eballs down, 

 and when a worm is well within the mouth, this is done, and the 

 eyes are used as clamjDs to prevent the worm from escaping, 

 thus in a very literal sense they have "their eyes on their 

 food." The young tadpole has no mouth at birth, only ac- 

 quiring one after being hatched for a few days. It then begins 



