43 



sight hours, and then the tail dropping ofF 3 the 

 animal appears in its perfect form. 



Thus the frog, in less than a day, having changed 

 its figure, changes its appetites also. So extraordi- 

 nary is this transformation, that the' food it fed upon 

 so greedily but a few days before, is now utterly 

 rejected. It would even starve, if supplied with no 

 other. As soon as the animal acquires its perfect 

 state, it becomes carnivorous, and lives entirely upon 

 worms and insects. Bat as the water cannot supply 

 these, it is obliged to quit its native element, and 

 seek for food upon land, where it lives by hunting 

 worms, and taking insects by surprise. 



44 Concerning the Toad, says Mr. Arocott, that 

 lived with us so many years, and was so great a fa- 

 vourite, the greatest curiosity was its being so remark- 

 ably tame ; it had frequented some steps before our 

 hall door, some years before my acquaintance com. 

 menced with jt, and had been admired by my father 

 for its size, (being the largest I ever met with) who 

 constantly paid it a visit every evening. I knew it 

 myself above thirty years, and by constantly feeding 

 it, brought it to be so tame that it always came to 

 the candle and looked up, as if expecting to be taken 

 up and brought upon the table, where I always fed 

 it with insects of all sorts. It would follow them, 

 and when within a proper distance would fix its eyes, 

 and remain motionless for near a quarter of a minute, 

 as if preparing for the stroke, which was an instanta- 

 neous throwing its tongue at a great distance upon 

 the insect, which stuck to the tip, by a glutinous 

 matter. The motion is quicker than the eye can fol- 

 low. I cannot say how long my father had bean ac. 

 quainted with the toad before I knew it ; but when 

 1 was first acquainted with it, he used to mention it 

 as the old toad. I have known it for thirty-six years. 

 This toad made its appearance as soon as the warm 

 weather came. and retired to some dry bank, toreposa 

 till spring. When we new laid the stops, 1 had two 

 holes made in the third step, on each side, with an 



