FROGS, BOYS, AND OTHER SMALL DEER. 185 



of the water to breathe. Finding that I agreed 

 with him in this, he furthermore informed me that 

 my dredger was a fine one. It was rather amus- 

 ing to hear him admire the ragged old thing, but 

 I believe boys have coveted it before. He said, 

 though, that it was not the kind to catch frogs 

 with ; they would jump out ; one must have a 

 long, sack-like dredger. And he said that frogs 

 have regular sleeping-places in holes on the sides 

 of pools. 



" You can come to this pool at night and see 

 them," he said ; " some go in the grass, and the 

 same frogs go in the same holes. They keep 

 their heads a little out of water all night." 



I unwittingly informed this boy of the inten- 

 tions of the former one in regard to coming back 

 after those two frogs. My second visitor's cupidity 

 was aroused, and he announced that, if he could 

 get one, the other fellow would be disappointed. 



This second boy proceeded to describe to me 

 the water-snakes found in the other creek. 



" There are none in here," said he ; " I 've 

 hunted for them." 



And I could verify that statement, for I have 

 never seen any here. 



" They 're about as long as your stick," he 

 went on, referring to the nearly yard-long handle 

 of my dredger. " They 've got a red streak on 

 top of their backs, and they 're gray, with black 

 streaks on the sides. They bite, and they 're 



