390 



HISTORY OF FROGS, LIZARDS, AND SERPENTS. 



production by Seba, in which he differs from 

 Ruysch, who affirms, that the young ones are 

 bred in the back of the male only, where the 

 female lays her eggs. I have followed Seba, 

 however, not because he is better authority, 

 but because he is more positive of the truth of 

 his account, and asserts, assuredly, that the 

 eggs are found on the back of the female only. 

 Many circumstances, however, are wanting 

 towards completing his information; such as 

 a description of the passage by which the egg 

 finds its way into the back ; the manner of 

 its fecundation ; the time of gestation ; as also 

 a history of the manners of this strange animal 

 itself; but, by a prolixity that much prevails 

 among naturalists at present, he leaves the 

 most interesting object of curiosity to give us a 

 detailed description of the legs and claws of the 



pipa, about which we have very little con- 

 cern. 



The male pipa is every way larger than the 

 female, and has the skin less tightly drawn 

 round the body. The whole body is covered 

 with pustules resembling pearls ; and the bel- 

 ly, which is of a bright yellow, seems as if it 

 were sewed up from the throat, to the vent, a 

 seam being seen to run in that direction. 

 This animal, like the rest of the frog kind, is 

 most probably harmless ; though we are told 

 of the terrible effects resulting from its powder 

 when calcined. This, however, must certainly 

 be false ; no creature whatever, when calcined, 

 can be poisonous ; for the fire burns away 

 whatever might have been dangerous in their 

 composition : all animal substances, when cal- 

 cined, being entirely the same. 



