THE FROG KIND. 



of catching its prey, it is also very vivacious, 

 and able to bear hunger fora very long time. 

 I have known one of them continue a month 

 in summer without any other food than the 

 turf on which it was placed in a glass vessel. 

 We are told of a German surgeon, that kept 

 one eight years in a glass vessel, covered 

 with a net. Its food was at all times but 

 sparing: in summer he gave it fresh grass, 

 which it is said to have fed upon ; and, in the 

 winter, hay, a little moistened : he likewise, 

 now and then, put flies into the glass, which 

 it would follow with an open mouth, and was 

 very expert in catching them. In winter, 

 when the flies were difficult to be found, it 

 usually fell away, and grew very lean ; but 

 in the summer, when they were plenty, it 

 soon grew fat again. It was kept in a warm 

 room, and was always lively and ready to 

 take its prey : however, in the eighth winter, 

 when there were no flies to be found, it fell 

 away and died. It is not certain how long it 

 might have lived, had it been supplied with 

 proper nourishment; but we are certain, that 

 a very little food is capable of sufficing its 

 necessities. 



Nor is the frog less tenacious of life. It 

 will live and jump about several hours after 

 its head has been cut off. It will continue 

 active, though all its bowels are taken out; 

 and it can live some days, though entirely 

 stripped of it skin. This cruel trick, which 

 is chiefly practised among school-boys, of 

 skinning frogs, an operation which is done in 

 an instant, seems for some hours no way to 

 abate their vigour. I am assured that some 

 of them get a new skin and recover, after 

 this painful experiment. 



The croaking of frogs is well known; and, 

 from thence, in some countries, they are dis- 

 tinguished by the ludicrous title of Dutch 

 Nightingales. Indeed, the aquatic frogs of 

 Holland are loud beyond what one would 

 imagine. We could hardly conceive that an 

 animal, not bigger than one's fist, should be 

 able to send forth a note that is heard at 

 three miles' distance ; yet such is actually 

 the case. The large water-frogs have a note 

 as loud as the bellowing of a bull ; and, for 

 this purpose, puff up the cheeks to a sur- 

 prising magnitude. Of all frogs, however, 

 the male only croaks ; the female is silent, 



and the voice in the other seems to be the 

 call to courtship. It is certain, that at these 

 times when they couple, the loudness of their 

 croaking is in some places very troublesome; 

 for then the whole lake seems vocal ; and a 

 thousand dissonant notes perfectly stun the 

 neighbourhood. At other times, also, before 

 wet weather, their voicrs are in full exertion ; 

 they are then heard with unceasing assiduity, 

 sending forth their call, and welcoming the 

 approaches of their favourite moisture. No 

 weather-glass was ever so true as a frog in 

 foretelling an approaching change; and, in 

 fact, the' German surgeon, mentioned ahove, 

 kept his frog for that purpose. It was always 

 heard to croak at the approach of wet wea- 

 ther: but was as mute as a fish when it threat- 

 ened a continuance of fair. This may pro- 

 bably serve to explain an opinion which some 

 entertain, that there is a month in the year, 

 called Paddock Moon, in which the frogs 

 never croak : the whole seems to be no more 

 than that, in the hot season, when the mois- 

 ture is dried away, and consequently, when 

 these animals neither enjoy the quantity of 

 health or food that at other times they are 

 supplied with, they show, by their silence, 

 how much they are displeased with the wea- 

 ther. All very dry weather is hurtful to their 

 health, and prevents them from getting their 

 prey. They subsist chiefly upon worms and 

 snails; and as drought prevents these from 

 appearing, the frog is thus stinted in its pro- 

 visions, and also wants that grateful humidity 

 which moistens its skin, and renders it alert 

 and active. 



As frogs adhere closely to the backs of 

 their own species, so it has been found, by 

 repeated experience, they will also adhere 

 to the backs of fishes. Few that have ponds, 

 but know that these animals will stick to the 

 backs of carp, and fix their fingers in the 

 corner of each eye. In this manner they are 

 often caught together : the carp blinded- and 

 wasted away. Whether this proceeds from 

 the desires of the frog, disappointed of its 

 proper mate, or whether it be a natural 

 enmity between frogs and fishes, I will not 

 take upon me to say. A story told us by 

 Walton, might be apt to incline us to the lat- 

 ter opinion. 



" As Dubravius, a bishop of Bohemia, wajs 

 5F 



