TWO YOUNG NATURALISTS. 71 



body with an enormous mouth surmounted by two 

 long filaments terminating above in bright, shining 

 surfaces. Possibly even you may have asked yourself 

 what means a fish of such awkward form and appear- 

 ance could adopt to satisfy its hunger. 



" Well, it is done by counting on the faults of 

 other fish, in the same way as man himself only 

 too often takes advantage of the vices of his kind. 

 The fishing-frog spreads its snare, relying with good 

 reason on the greediness and inquisitiveness of its 

 neighbours. Buried in the mud, it vibrates the fila- 

 ments above its head, until some fish thoughtlessly 

 comes loitering around this novel bait. Then 

 you may guess the sequel. The capacious maw opens, 

 entombs the victim, and the game is recommenced. 



"The market-women sometimes speculate on the 

 voracity of the fishing-frogs, and purchase them at a 

 low price, on the strength of what they may contain. 

 The fishing-frog swallows its prey in a gluttonous 

 fashion without any mastication, and they often find 

 in its stomach fish but little damaged, and sell them 

 to customers who are not very observant." 



"And is this done frequently ?" asked Kene*, for 

 the idea that he might have eaten a sole fished from 

 the stomach of one of these rascals did not at all please 

 him. 



" Possibly oftener than you think," replied his 

 cousin. "But let us now see what my luck has been. 



