42 



determine tne blood toward the stomach, by con. 

 tracting it when the blood is received. Hence it pas- 

 ses into a kind of membraneous sack, which serves 

 the animal both for stomach and intestines. This 

 takes up the greatest part of its body. On each 

 side of this long canal there is a number of little bags. 

 These being filled with biood, swell out the body of 

 the animal to a large size. Here it remains for many 

 months, and serves the creature for nourishment. If 

 any thing is excreted, it can be only by insensible per- 

 spiration, since the creature has no anus, nor any 

 aperture which can supply the place of one. 



Frogs change their skins every eight days. 

 Toads, as well as frogs, are harmless, defenceless 

 creatures, and their greatest crime is their ugliness. 



Newly generated frogs which fall to the bottom, 

 remain there the Vhole day, but having lengthened 

 themselves a little, for at first they are doubled up, 

 they mount to the mucus which they had quitted, and 

 feed upon it with great vivacity. The next day they 

 acquire their Tadpole form. In three days more they 

 have little fringes, that serve as fins beneath the 

 hulj and these, four days after assume a more per. 

 feet fbrmv It is. then they feed greedily upon the 

 pond -weed, and leaving their former food, on this 

 they continue to subsist, till they arrive at maturity. 

 When they come to be ninety-two days old, two 

 small feet begin fo sprout near the tail, and the 

 head appears to be separate from the body. The 

 next day the legs are considerably enlarged ; four 

 days after they refuse all vegetable food, their rrtouth 

 appears furnished with 'teeth, and their hinder legs 

 are completely formed. In two days more the arms 

 are completely produced, and now the frog is every 

 way perfect, except that it still continues to carry 

 the tail. In this odd situation, the animal, resemb- 

 ling at ouce both a frog and a lizard, is seen fre-, 

 qucntly rising to the surface, not to take food, but 

 to breathe. In this state it continues for six or 



