COMMON AND EDIBLE FROGS 



consume other tadpoles. If these are not procurable, 

 it will take other animal food, and as it pursues its busy 

 life it is all the time evolving into a perfect little Frog, 

 a familiar enough object to all. Its metamorphosis 

 complete, the young Frog leaves its watery home 

 equipped for the great struggle in which on land, as in 

 the water, it is about to play its part. The food of the 

 adult Frog consists of earth worms, insects, slugs, snails, 

 and other creatures. It does a great amount of good, 

 and is a gardener's friend. The present species is some 

 shade of brown on the upper parts, spotted with darker 

 colour, but the males may be known by having yellowish- 

 white below, and the females orange. The colour varies 

 a good deal in even the same locality, but in a different 

 environment, and light and dark specimens are frequently 

 found not far apart. The length acquired is about 

 three inches. The male is much the smaller of the two 

 sexes. 



The pleasant croaking noise made by the Frog, 

 especially during the spawning season, is quite a rural 

 feature, though I have seen a number of people look up 

 aloft to discover the cause of the unfamiliar chorus. 

 One need only mention in conclusion its remarkable 

 hopping feats, and its great ability as a swimmer. 



Edible Frog. — Rana esculenta (Fig. 20). Although 

 this species is stated by a well-known authority to be 

 " common in England " (particularly in Cambridgeshire 

 and Norfolk), it is a fact that I have met many naturalists 

 who have never encountered it during their outdoor 



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