FROGS AND TOADS. 91 



capable of rapid progress on the ground ; and how 

 admirably this double duty is fulfilled in the legs of 

 the Frog, is evident enough to all who have seen the 

 perfect ease with which the creature moves either on 

 the ground or in the water. 



On the land the progress of the Frog is wonderfully 

 like that of the kangaroo, the very long and powerful 

 hind legs being in both animals the means of pro- 

 pulsion, and the short fore legs used principally to 

 support the body when the animal is at rest. In the 

 water the fore legs are not used at all, but kept 

 motionless in front of the breast. 



As for the webbed foot which drives the Frog so 

 rapidly through the water, it is formed by a simple 

 extension of the skin between the lengthened toes. If 

 we separate our own fingers widely, we see that at 

 their juncture there is a fold of skin, which, if con- 

 tinued to the tips of the fingers, would give them a 

 strong resemblance to the foot of the Frog. I have 

 seen more than one instance where, in the human 

 being, the hands were webbed nearly half up the 

 fingers. 



Lately there have been in the shops some swim- 

 ming gloves with a piece of waterproof cloth connect- 

 ing each finger, so as to make them useful organs of 

 propulsion. As, however, the speed in swimming de- 

 pends more on the legs than on the arms, the instru- 

 ment should have been attached to the feet, and not 

 to the hands. 



The late Captain Morton, K.N., invented a very in- 

 genious plan of increasing the speed of a swimmer. To 

 the sole of each foot was attached a rather thick strip 



