358 FRANCIS TEEVELYAN BUCKLAND. 



On their sleepy faces were depicted fear aiid anger. 

 What had woke us all up so suddenly ? 



"The morning was just breaking, and my frogs, 

 though in the dark pocket of the coach, had found 

 it out, and, with one accord, all twelve of them had 

 begun their morning song. As if at a given signal, 

 they one and all of them began to croak as hard as 

 ever they could. The noise their united concert 

 made seemed, in the closed compartment of the 

 coach, quite deafening: well might the Germans 

 look angry ; they wanted to throw the frogs, bottle 

 and all, out of the window, but I gave the bottle a 

 good shaking, and made the frogs keep quiet. 

 The Germans all went to sleep again, but I was 

 obliged to remain awake, to shake the frogs when 

 they began to croak. It was lucky that I did so, 

 for they tried to begin their concert again two or 

 three times. 



"These frogs came safely to Oxford, and, the 

 day after their arrival, a stupid housemaid took off 

 the top of the bottle, to see what was inside ; one 

 of the frogs croaked at that instant, and so fright- 

 ened her that she dared not put the cover on again. 

 They all got loose in the garden, when, I believe, 

 the ducks ate them, for I never heard or saw them 

 again." 



The next autumn, after a short tour in Switzer- 

 land, he returned to Oxford, this time bringing a 

 jar full of red slugs. " They at least were noiseless 

 and would not croak like frogs. In the opposite 

 corner of the diligence placidly slumbered a trav- 



