120 LAKES AND RIVERS 



CHAPTER V. 



AMPHIBIA. FROGS, TOADS, AND NEWTS. 



THE reptiles which inhabit our rivers, ponds, and 

 ditches, and which are all amphibious, are not of 

 numerous species, though very abundant and wide- 

 spread. Of these the common Frog (Rana tern- 

 porarid) is the most abundant, and from its many 

 transformations is highly interesting. Most persons 

 must have observed from time to time gelatinous 

 masses lying about the edges or among the reeds, 

 rushes, and water-plants of our common pools : these 

 are the spawn of the common frog. In each of 

 these eggs which form the mass there is a small 

 black spot, which is the commencement of the life of 

 a young frog or tadpole. As there is no cessation in 

 the progress of Nature, whether it be in life or in 

 decay, development commences from the time of 

 deposition. Soon the head of the tadpole may be 

 discovered, and a flat tail becomes visible. After- 

 wards gills or fibrous tufts appear on the sides of the 

 neck ; these temporary appendages float loosely in 

 the water, and take from it the oxygen, which is the 

 breath of life to the young creature. The develop- 

 ment and changes in the structure now proceed 

 rapidly. Five days after being spawned, the tadpole, 

 with its gills and tail, approaches its full length. 



