rut-: itn.i.-yRoa. i:,-, 



lift- fr tin- _-[.-:it. r j.:irt of ii- -\i-t-ii.--. li\ iin; in a hoi- near tin- water, and Mom l-a\ ing it.s 

 domicile l.y da\ mil w h-n sitddenh alarmed. If fri^ht-in-d l>y an unknown sound "i -icht. 

 tin- Bull-Fmg leaps at once into th- water, an.l in-i-ad ,,f di\ing to th- lM,tt,,ni imm.-diai-ls . 

 -kirns along tin- surface fora few \ards U-fon- it disappears. 



Durin- th- l.n-eding seaion, these huge Frogs ajw.-ml.l- together in great multitud . 

 congregating t. th- amount of four or tiv- hundred in some pool or inunth, witting with th-ir 

 Unli-s half submerg.-d. and making night hideou-with th-ir horrid U-llowing cries. Few 

 person-. -\. pt tho.se who have had personal exj-erience, an<l who liuve lost night after night 

 of needful sleep l.y the ceaseless noise, ran imagine tin- loudn of \,,\,;. an.l \ari-t \ of ton,- 

 possessed b\ th.- different species of Progs. And traveller* who lie awake at night, unwilling 

 hearers of the niN-timial concerts, are disposed to -nw th<- happ\ ignorance of tlu>s.- who** 

 oalni-r lot i- ra-t in '011111066 where the druinniiiiir<. l-llox\ ini:-. rhatt-rinir-, and pi pings of 

 the Frog race an- pm. ti.-ally unknown. Among th.-.s,. nightly inu-i. ian- th- Buil-Fn.g i- th- 

 loudf-t and moat pertina,-i..u- : mostly remaining <piii-t l.y day. Imt sonictiin.-s -xullin^ in a 

 black cloud or a h-:i\y -h,.-r, and ni-inc its horri.i din -v-n in th- hour* uf daylight. 



I: is a most vom-ious creatur.-, bediag mostly on snails and -imilar j.r-y. w hic-h it catches 

 on it.s n.H-turnal exrui-sions from its doiuicil.-, Imt oft-n d-vouriiitf animals of a larger HJ, 

 sui-h an crayfish, two of which crustaceans have been found in tin- stomach of a single Bull- 

 Frog, and even gobbling down an occasional chicken or duckling. Taking advantage of its 

 voracity, the inhabitants of th- country an* in the habit of catching it l.y meant) of a rod and 

 line. The hook is generally baited with an in--ct. and gently drawn along the ground near 

 the Frog, which leaps upon it, seizes it, and is hooked without difficulty. It is ratlu-r curious 

 that the Frog will not touch the insect as lonj; a.s it is allowed to rest quietly on the ground. 

 but as soon as the line is pulled, so as to make the insect mov-, it is at once jtouncM 

 upon. The common Frogs and toads have the same custom. 



The flesh of the Bull-Frog is very delicately flavored, and in some places the creature 

 is kept in captivity and fed for table. 



This species is exceedingly active, making leaps of eight or ten feet in length and five feet 

 in height. There is a well-known story of a race between a Bull-Frog and an Indian, t In- 

 former to have three jumps in advance, and the distance about forty yards, to a pond from 

 which the Frog had l>een taken. When the parties were ready to start, the glowing tip of a 

 burning stick was applied to the Bull-Frog, which set oft* at such a rate, and made such 

 astonishing leaps to get into the welcome water, that its human op|M>n-nt was vanquished 

 in the race. 



In some places this creature is never disturbed, as it is supposed, perhaps with some 

 justice, to aid in keeping the water pure. The jMipular name of Bull-Frog is derived from its 

 cry, which is said to resemble the bellowing of the animal whose name it bears. Several 

 sj*ci-s of Fn>g have been classed under the same popular name. 



The color of the Bull-Frog is brown, mottled with black above, and taking a greener hue 

 upon the head. The aUl. .men is grayish -white, and the throat is white dotted with green. 

 The length of the head and body of the large species Is rather mon- than six inches, and a fine 

 sjH-cimen will sometimes mea-sun* nineteen or twenty inches from the nose to the extremity of 

 its feet The skin of the back is smooth, and without any longitudinal fold. 



TIIKKK is another tolerably common species inhabiting the same country, which ia 

 also popularly called the Bull-Frog. It may be readily distinguished from the bull-Frog, 

 which it otherwise greatly resembles, by the pn-s-nc- of a i;l:indular fold on each side of fly- 

 back. It is a very noisy creature, with a sharper and mon- yelping cry than the preceding 

 species. When disturbed, it shoots at once into the water, and there sets up its peculiar cry. 

 It is more active than the common bull-Frog, and if once n-leased, is almost certain to escape, 

 from the great 1-nirth and rapidity of its leaps, the creatun- never seeming to pause between 

 two jumps, but springing off the earth with an instantaneous reixuind not unlike the flying 

 leaps of the jerboa or kanganxi. It in a i> lo\ing species, and is never found far 



from wat-r. 



