BRITISH REPTILES 115 
It is a most amusing sight to see a lot of domestic 
ducks hunting for frogs in the shallow pools, before 
these actually emerge from the mud where they have 
buried themselves all the winter. As the water gets 
warmed by the sun, they gradually work up to the 
top until only a very thin layer of mud is above them, 
a mere crust in fact. The ducks know all about 
this ; they swim in the shallow water, rake the frogs 
out with their paddles, and nip them as they try 
to escape. The quantity of embalmed frog I have 
seen them waddle off with has been something 
surprising. 
The edible frog, Rana esculenta, is now a native of 
this country, but whether it has always been native to 
our island, or if it was introduced from the Continent 
in past times by the monks, I am not able to say. 
One thing is certain, he is to be found in one of the 
Cambridgeshire fens ; at least, he was found there 
recently. This frog is a valuable creature as a food- 
supply ; but it will be some time, I fear, in this 
country, before it is seen on the tables of the public 
at large. For many years I have known that the 
hind legs of our common frog were eaten in some 
counties ; but this may have been by people who had 
lived on the Continent, or who were immigrants into 
those counties. 
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