206 The Under-Water World 



masses of eggs, or from single eggs. 

 The number of eggs laid and the size of 

 the tadpoles stand in no relation to the 

 size of the parents. A tadpole, known 

 as the Paradoxical Frog of Brazil, 

 actually exceeds in length as well as bulk 

 the adult, and the ancient writers, in 

 fact, described the creature as an animal 

 which began life as a frog but which 

 eventually turned into a fish. 



In most cases the eggs and tadpoles 

 of frogs and toads, having been deposited 

 in the water, are left to look after them- 

 selves. In some cases, however, they are 

 protected by the parent and the means 

 taken to ensure their safety are as diverse 

 as the forms of their protectors. They 

 may be nursed in enclosures or holes in 

 the water, in nests overhanging the water 

 in which the larvae drop at a certain 

 stage of their development, or in trans- 

 parent gelatinous bags also in the water. 



The large Brazilian tree frog (Hyla 



