2632 



FROGS AND TOADS 



in the edible frog the teeth on the vomers do not extend behind the line of the aper- 

 tures of the posterior nostrils, they do so to a small extent in the present species. 

 In color the upper parts of the common frog are grayish or yellowish brown, more 

 or less spotted with dark brown or black; the temporal spot being always dark, and 

 a light line running from below the eye to its extremity; while the sides of the 

 body are profusely spotted, the limbs transversely barred, and a larger or smaller 

 number of spots are present on the under parts. This species is spread over Europe 

 and Northern and temperate Asia. Closely allied is the moor frog (R. arvalis}, of 

 Eastern Europe and Western Asia, represented in the illustration on p. 2629, which 



AGILE FROGS. 

 (Natural size. ) 



may be distinguished by the tubercle on the inner metatarsal being compressed in- 

 stead of blunt, and by the pointed, in place of obtuse, muzzle. The coloration is 

 very similar to that of the common species, but there is sometimes (as in the right- 

 hand figure of the illustration) a light stripe bordered by two black ones down the 

 middle of the back, while the under parts are uniform. A third European species 

 is the agile frog (R. agilis} , which belongs to a group distinguished by the greater 

 length of the hind-limbs; the whole form being slender, and the muzzle pointed. 

 Its general color is grayish brown, with dark spots; the temporal spot being dark 

 and distinct, with a light line running from its extremity to the snout, while the 



