COMMON FROG. 105 



he regularly (and, contrary to the cold-blooded tendency of 

 his nature) came out of his hole in the evening, and directly 

 made for the hearth in front of a good kitchen-fire, where 

 he would continue to bask, and enjoy himself until the 

 family retired to rest. 



There happened to be at the same time a favourite old 

 domestic cat, and a sort of intimacy or attachment existed 

 between these two incongruous inmates ; the Frog frequent- 

 ly nestling under the warm fur of the cat, whilst the cat 

 appeared extremely jealous of interrupting the comforts 

 and convenience of the Frog. This curious scene was often 

 witnessed by many besides the family. 



In its general form it is more slender than the Toad, 

 though less so than many species of true Frog. The head 

 forming half an oval, or nearly so ; the snout rounded ; the 

 mouth horizontal, linear ; the gape very wide, extending as 

 far as the posterior margin of the orbit ; teeth placed in a 

 single row in the upper jaw and on the palate, very minute ; 

 none in the lower ; tongue soft, fleshy, spatula-shaped and 

 notched, the anterior portion folded back upon the posterior 

 when not in use ; eyes elevated above the forehead. The 

 back is generally flat, excepting at the setting on of the 

 pelvis, where it is sometimes a little raised. The fore-feet 

 are of moderate size and length, with four toes, of which 

 the third is slightly the longest, the second notably the 

 shortest, as is probably the case in all the true Frogs ; 

 hinder legs very long, and very muscular, extending to more 

 than half as long again as the body ; hinder toes five in 

 number, long, slender, palmated, the fourth toe being by 

 much the longest. Skin naked, smooth. The male is 

 smaller and more slender than the female. 



The changes which the colour of the Frog undergoes 

 both in intensity and in hue, from the variation of tempe- 



