POND, LAKE, AND STREAM 23 



The tadpole could not live in the air 011 land, because it 

 had no lungs, but the frog can ; he can also swim and dive, 

 but comes to the surface to breathe. 



How tadpoles and frogs feed. The tadpole in the pond 

 eats whatever small creatures come in its way and what- 

 ever decaying matter it can find ; but Mr. Frog is a hunter. 

 It is true he does not run his game down ; being a gentleman 

 inclined to take things easy, he sits down and waits for the 

 game to come Avithiii reach. Once I watched a large green 

 frog catching his breakfast. He was squatting on the moist 

 ground near a brook, when two large butterflies (some species 

 of the Fritillaries) came sailing along to quench their thirst. 

 The frog's large eyes rolled and seemed to fairly bulge out of 

 his head, and he raised himself up to watch them better. 

 One of the butterflies alighted within about six inches of Mr. 

 Greencoat. The frog crouched, crawled up behind a little 

 elevation to within about three inches of the butterfly ; then 

 he sprang like a cat, his tongue caught the insect, a few 

 quick movements of his jaws, and the butterfly, wings and 

 all, had disappeared. If you have patience, you may observe 

 frogs catching all kinds of insects. On another occasion I 

 found two large June-bugs in a frog's stomach. The frog's 

 tongue is attached in front and not behind. In catching an 

 insect it tips over, the insect sticks to its slimy surface and 

 is drawn into the large mouth. 



We have seen how tadpoles and frogs are well adapted to 

 find their food each in their own way and in their peculiar 

 condition. 



We shall now try to find out what means the frog has to 

 escape from his enemies or defend himself against them. 

 Ducks and other water birds eat frog eggs whenever they 

 can find them. Fishes, snakes, and birds devour thousands 

 of young tadpoles, although the little fellows try their best 



Look for weeds along roads, in fields and gardens, and in waste places. 



