8 4 



THE COMMON FROG 



haystack bottom, whence the example shown at the upper left- 

 hand corner of the illustration was taken, the string of eggs being 

 joined together like a set of large oval beads, soft parchment-like, 

 and white in colour. The ringed snake feeds upon frogs, slugs, wood- 

 lice, insects and their larvae, also grass voles and mice, and some 

 say unfledged small birds. It is torpid in winter, and generally 

 destroyed when found. It is perfectly harmless and may be tamed. 

 In captivity it will feed on beetles, cockroaches, mealworms and 

 similar creatures, also drink milk and eat bread soaked in it. 

 When much alarmed it gives off an offensive odour, therefore should 

 be seized with a leather gloved hand and not allowed to touch either 

 the skin or clothes of the captor. The ringed snake casts its skin 

 several times during the year. The entire skin comes off, even the 

 covering of the eyes. A rent opens in the neck, and the snake, 

 by entangling itself in thick grass or bushes, actually creeps out 

 of its skin, turning it inside out in the effort. It is an excellent 

 swimmer, gliding on the water in a very graceful manner. 



The COMMON FROG (Rana temporaria), Fig. 55, is the type of the 

 order Anurous Amphibia or Batrachians, and belongs to the family 



FIG. 55. THE COMMON FROG AND TADPOLE. 



Ranidae (frogs). It is characterized by having the skin smooth, 

 the hind legs long, and the feet webbed. Thus it swims with great 

 vigour, and on land progresses by a series of leaps. By its smooth 

 soft skin it absorbs fluids rapidly, and thus has a double function 



