5io 



MY GARDEN. 



(Anguis fragilis), have ever been seen at my garden ; although the 

 ringed snake has been noticed on the Sewage grounds. 



The Lacerta agilis, or Active Lizard, I have occasionally observed in 

 the saxifrage and sempervivum gardens. This lizard is very active, 

 and lives on all the commons round London. The L. agilis is 

 tameable, but neither so tameable nor so beautiful as the green lizard 

 of France and Italy, which I have never found in this country. I have 

 brought the latter home from the forest of Fontainebleau in France ; 

 I have caught them in Pompeii, and have seen them by thousands on 

 the walls of Naples, and on the banks of the hedge-rows at the Cascina 

 at Florence, and on some future occasion I hope to be able to intro- 

 duce a colony into my garden. A number were collected for that 

 purpose at Florence, but they contrived to escape, and great was my 



FIG. 1108. Frog. FIG, 1109. Toad. 



anxiety lest they should make their way into the bed-room of a young 

 lady ill with fever, who was so foolish as to be greatly afraid of them. 



The Frog (Rana temporaria, fig. 1108) exists in moderate numbers 

 in my garden, though we see no tadpoles in any of our small streams, 

 but only in one little artificial pond. Their chief food is worms and 

 insects. 



We have the Toad also (Bufo vulgaris, fig. 1109) in moderate 

 quantities, but it is a most welcome visitor to the garden. We catch 

 toads in numbers, and place them in the fernery and glass-houses, 

 where they eat innumerable insects and wood-lice. 



I have often kept tame toads, and some have lived with me for 

 years. 



"The toad, ugly and venomous, 

 Wears yet a precious jewel in his head." SHAKSPKARK. 



