TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS. 393 



she cried, "how cold and wet it is; it must have tumbled 

 into the drain — ugh ! ugh ! boo-ooh ! " And down went 

 the "poor little wretch" on the ground with much more 

 celerity than it was picked up. 



"It's — it's a — frog!" gasped the mater, "such a horrid 

 sensation, I feel it crawling all over me! " 



We are afraid that instead of sympathizing with the 

 victim of this terrible mistake, we were unfeeling enough 

 to drop down on the grass and laugh till our eyes were dim 

 at the picture of disgust before us, until the latter joined 

 in the fun, and a chorus of small, startled voices in the 

 brooder gave point and emphasis to our impromptu glee 

 club. 



The "poor little wretch" in question, this time, was not 

 one of the very small tree-frogs, but the large kind, for 

 there are two, the larger ones are usually green, but have 

 the power of changing their color at will, and as a rule, 

 will be found matching in hue Avhatever object they rest 

 upon, through all the shades of green or brown. 



And now let us pass on from this very froggy subject 

 to another, but still within the "reptilean era." 



Lizards.: what a horror some of our Florida sisters have 

 of these innocent, graceful creatures ! 



There is no harm in them, not a particle, even in the 

 larger striped species that live altogether out of doors; 

 they have no wish to attack any one, and if they had, 

 could do no injury. In the first place, the very largest 

 of them all are only a few inches in length ; in the second 

 place, they have no teeth to bite Avith. The utmost they 

 can accomplish in the way of defense, when attacked, we 

 have seen them do when our pet cat has come to us crying 

 for help, with a striped three- or four-inch lizard hanging 

 to its under lip; it could not bite, but only pinch hard 

 enough to sustain its own weight and to w^orry its assailant. 



