272 THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 



they swallow whole. The Frogs are furnished with 

 webbed feet and swim well ; they progress on land by 

 leaps, their powerful hind legs carrying them to a great 

 distance. The young of the Amphibia are brought 

 forth as eggs, which float on the water, and when they 

 first come to life form the curious little creatures called 

 Tadpoles, having long tails and no feet, and, as before 

 stated, more resembling Fish than Reptiles. The Toads 

 are for the most part nocturnal in their habits, living 

 in the daytime in gardens and holes ; they feed upon 

 insects, as do Frogs, and lay their eggs in the water. 

 The stories of Toads being found alive in rock and the 

 heart of trees, arise from the following circumstances : 

 Toads when small will often creep into holes in rocks 

 and hollows in trees, and in these situations they find 

 abundance of food ; being slothful in their habits, and 

 capable of existing upon but little food, and abstaining 

 from it a long time, they are apt to remain in their snug 

 quarters and content themselves with what insects may 

 come to them. In this way they grow too large to get 

 out of the hole, and live for a great time in it ; when 

 chance discovers them, by the rock being broken open 

 or the wood of the tree cleft, the opening into which 

 they had crept is overlooked. The Water JSTewt 

 (Triton cristatus) inhabits pools and ditches, and (like 

 the others of this order) is first formed as a Tadpole ; it 

 is of a brown and bright yellow colour, with a crest 

 down its back and tail, and has the most extraordinary 

 powers of reproducing any part cut oft' or removed, such 

 as a leg or the tail. 



2. OPHIDIA (Snake-like order). 



This includes the Serpents, Boas, and Pythons. These 

 creatures are peculiar from their long and flexible form, 

 and the absence of legs. They move by a sinuous 

 winding action, and when about to seize their prey, 

 make a sudden dart with great rapidity. They are 

 covered with regular scales, and mottled with different 

 colours ; some, as the Adder and Battle-snake, are very 



