COMMON TOAD. 165 



long, of which more than an inch and a half is tail. The frog 

 that has just got rid of his tail measures only half an inch. ,The 

 young frogs are not such wanderers as their Common cousins, 

 but remain in the vicinity of their birthplace, unless the pond 

 dries up. They like to bask in the sun and wait till their food 

 comes within range of their extensible tongues. They become 

 mature between the fourth and fifth years. 



This is the Frog whose hind legs are served as food in the 

 restaurants of France and of the French quarters in London. 

 We have not experimented with them as food, but remember 

 that Frank Buckland, who was keen upon out-of-the-ordinary 

 dishes, described them as " tasting more like the delicate flesh 

 of the Rabbit than anything else I can think of." Our old 

 friend, Miss Susan Hopley, told us that she once unwittingly 

 partook of a much larger kind in the United States, and 

 innocently remarked, " What a pity to kill such very young 

 chickens ! " She says she was moved to the remark by the 

 insipidity of the dish. 



The Edible Frog is found all over Europe and in Northern 

 Asia. 



The beautiful little Tree Frog (Hyla arboreal), of bright green 

 colour, with expanded toe-tips which make it an expert climber, 

 is widely distributed on the Continent, whence it is frequently 

 introduced to our conservatories. Some of these examples 

 turned loose years ago in the Isle of Wight have become 

 naturalised in some parts of the island, where they have become 

 so numerous as to arouse complaints against their noisy 

 nocturnal croaking during the breeding season. 



Common Toad (Bufo vulgaris, Laurent). 



Though in general terms the Toad may be said to be of 

 similar form to the Frog, there is no need for a very minute 



