APPENDIX, 479 



No. III. 



jiji account of Frogt du^ out of the earth at Burlingtom, 

 Chap VI. p. 154. 



THE accoun's which natural hillcry has recorded of the difcovery of 

 toads and ffogs, in fi ua;ionsin which it has been fuppoTed it was impofTi* 

 J)le they fhould cxilt, have been ot a fingular and extraordinary kind. 



A very remarkable inftance of this nature, has lately fallen under my 

 ©wn obffrva'.i'in. On Oftober ath, 1807, Mofes Callin.Efq of Burling- 

 ton, was digging a well a few rods diliant from his dwelling houfe. Hii 

 houfe was about twenty rods fouth ot the College, on a hard gravelly r)il 

 and on the highell land in tne ijcighborhood. When the workmen !«, d 

 dug about five leer below the furface of ihe ground, they found fix frogs, 

 which did not appear to be in a torpid or wt-ak (fate ; hut as foon as they 

 were thrown out ol the earth, difcoveied the full powers of activity and, 

 health. Two of thefe frogs lay together in the earth, the others wercfepa- 

 rate ; moll, or all of them were covered, or lay under Imall ftones. Oc- 

 tober the 13'h, two more of the (ame kind were found ; feparate, but un« 

 der Imali itones as before October the 14th, in the mornirjg five more 

 were found, at the depth of about eleven feet from the luiface of theground. 

 Two of ihefe lay together, ihe others were fepaiate ; none of them were 

 covered with anv ffones, but furrounded with hard gravelly earth. Alex- 

 ander Cailin, L(q. a man ol the molt rcfpeftable charafter, alfured me, 

 tharhcfaA' the workmen dig up three of thefe frogs : and that another 

 man was prelent, when the workmen dug up the fourth. 



At mv rcquelt Mr. Catlin prelerved two of them in a tumbler. Eight 

 hours after ihey were dug up, I viewed them with all the attention and 

 care in my power. They were of the fame kind as the frogs which are 

 generally fecn in this vicinity. One of them appeared to have attained its 

 full growth ; the other was not ot the full fize. Their bodies did not ap- 

 pear to be flirivelledj or in any degree emaciated, but full, plump and heal- 

 thy. Their eyes were lucid and brilliant, without any appearance of de- 

 fe£l. Their limb.s fecmed to be in perfcft proportion and order ; and. 

 their claws lon)£. flcnder and delicate. Relpiration appeared to be flrong 

 and unembarralTcd ; and carried on with as much ca(c and regularity as in 

 any other frogi. On moving the cover from the tumbler in which they 

 were confined, both of them jumped out from the glafs.and hopped round 

 the room ; and we had to chafe them leveral times round the room before 

 wr. could catch them. They feeined perfectly well to underftand thebcfk 

 way ofevadmg.our purfuit; did not attempt to leap againft. the wall or 

 furniture, but kept in that part of the room where they were apparently 

 belt fecured by the wall, chair: and tables. Nor have I ever feen more ac- 

 tivity, fprightlinefs, or ftronger powers of life and aftion in any frogs, than 

 what appeared in thefe two, eight hours after they were dug out of the 

 earth ; and had been preferved in a tumbler, without any kind of food or. 

 nourifhment. To render the evidence of thefe fafts as cunplcat as the na- 

 ture of the fubjfft would admit, we preferved both the frogs in fpiritsand 

 exhibited them to the view of the ftudents in the univerfity ; and they are 

 now in potfLlfion of the prcfident of that feminary. The workmen funk 

 the well 10 the depth of about eighteen feet, but did not find any more of 

 thefe animals. 



Oiflober the 26ih, the workmen were digging another v/ell for Mr. Cat~ 

 Jin, about eighty rods north call of ih,; College. The foil y/a of a Icofe, 



