HERPETOLOGY. 



37 



rtndoia. 



CCXCTIH. 

 Vig. Mi 



S ir.i.-n 

 fn,. 



La G. haUeeuu, Daud. viii. p. 122, 



12. R. tignrina. Tigrine F. Large ; greyish-brown, 

 with a longitudinal yellow line extending from the nose 

 to the rump; dark brown spots edged with yellow 

 above the limbs, and yellow buttock*. 



La G. tigree, Daud viii. p. 125. 



IS. R.grwHuen*. Grunting F. Brown or reddish, 

 with oblong yellow spot* behind the eye*. 



La G. grognamte, Daud. viii. p. 127. 



1 *. R. parados*. Paradoxical F. Greenish-ash or 

 reddish above, marbled with reddish brown ; thighs 

 marked below with oblique reddish line*. See Plate 

 VIII. Fig. SO. 



La G. Jackie, Daud viii. p. 130; Lacep. ii. part iii. 

 art. 11. 



Aw* paradox*. Linn, a GmelL p. 1055. 



ParaJtriealJrtg, Shaw. 



Staimamfrog or Jackie. 



The natural history of this extraordinary animal i* 

 bat imperfectly understood. It ha* long been suppo- 

 sed, that it i* first a frog, and afterward* change* into 

 a fish ; in which latter state k i* eaten by the natives of 

 Surinam, under the name* of Jackie and Frog-fish. 



Considerable light ha* been lately thrown on the 

 economy of th* Surinam frog by Mr W. M. Ireland 

 and Sir F.. Home, in a paper just published in The 

 Jomrval of Science aid Ike Artt.\*\6, vol. i. p. 55. edited 

 at the Royal Institution by Mr Brand*. Mr Ireland has 

 had the good fortune to witiiies the changes which the 

 aiu*Bal>d*r*^frpmthetadpoWtotheparfecttate; 

 and the following is an abstract of hi* observation*, 

 with those of Sir E. Hone, on the internal structure of 

 the tadpole in two of it* atagea, 



.en first seen by Mr Ireland, the tadpole wa* 

 about four inches and a hah* leap by about an inch 

 had a large bead and small mouth, very much 

 jling those of fish, though the rudiments of 

 two leg* were evident just behind the head In about 

 a fortnight, the length of the animal had increased to 

 eight inches, end it* breadth to about two and a half; 

 and the rudiments of the leg* were developed into 

 nearly perfect members, with five clawed tote, uni- 

 ted by a membrane, evidently the future hind leg* of 

 th* animal. 



On examining its internal structure daring this fort- 



t - .!._ . I I I .ill 



broad, 



up, end th* rudiment* of the lungs arc seen in the pos- 

 terior part of the belly. 



In about three weeks the fore-leg* make their ap- 



aiinill; smaller.".*^ 

 and the animal, which 

 vessel in a torpid 

 r, and usually re- 

 r, with it* meath above 



eWbfly akend in extent end nieam, being con- 



tracted apparently to lees then hah* to length, and ha- 

 ving bat very few short CIDSH shstJBni, end marry the 

 whole of th* cavity of the belly is filled with fat. 



In about six weeks, the minil i* greatly contracted 

 in siae, bong hole more than three inches long by 



frog, except some smell remain* of the tail, which has 

 been gradually sloughing off or absorbed, ami the dis- 

 appearance of which ha* so greatly contracted the ani- 

 mal's length. 



The appearance of die tadpole, in the state usually 

 I the Frog-fish, is shewn in Plat* CCXCV. Fig. 1 7- 



which is reduced to one-fourth of its natural length, BatraeUn 

 and the animal nearly in its perfect state, and one-half t ^ e P 1 ^ 

 it* natural six*, is represented in Plate CCXCVIII. "V" 

 Fig. 20. 



IS.H.arunco. Aruiico F. Body warty ; feet pal- Arunco. 

 mated. 



La G. anmco, Daud. viii. p. 134. 



16. K. Ikaml. Yellow F. Body warty; yellow feet, Thaul. 

 semipalniated. 



La. G. (haul, Daud. viii. p. 1S6. 



Rana lidta, Linn, a GmeL p. 1050. 



GsM-sIII. BI-FO. TOADS. 



Body thick, short, and broad, more or less warty on Bvro Ge- 

 the upper surface ; head thick and short ; eyes barge nus. 

 and protuberant, with a vertical pupil ; tongue short 

 and thick ; skin dilatable by inflation ; belly often gra- 

 nulated; fore* feet with four separate toes, the thumb 

 larger in the male ; hinder feet comparatively short, 

 and generally palmated with five toe* ; all the toes 

 pointed, but without claw*. 



From the construction of their legs and feet, toad* 

 do not leap so well at frog*, but they walk better, and 

 swim with facility. In their other habit* and modes of 

 life they resemble frogs, except that, when irritated or 

 terrified, they emit from the pores of their warty skin 

 a sort of frothy fluid, which, though not venomous, at 

 was formerly supposed, is sufficiently irritating to af- 

 fect dutifitt part* of the skin of an animal that touches 

 it. It is scarcely now necessary to remark, that the 

 tone in die toad's bead, which has given rise to Shake- 

 speare's beautiful simile, i* only a poetical fiction, those 

 substance* which have received that name appearing 

 only to be the fossil teeth of a spade* of fish. 



Toad* feed on worms and insects, and in their turn 

 become the prey of the larger bird* and snakes ; and it 

 is said, that their flesh, so far from being venomous, af- 

 fords a* whole tome nutriment a* that of the frog. 

 Some of these animals are also capable of being domes- 

 ticated. We are informed by Mr Pennant, that an in- 

 dividual of the common toad was known to frequent 

 the step* of a gentleman'* house in Devonshire for 

 thirty-six years, where to was accustomed to be fed eve- 

 ry evening by the family and their visitors. 



The accounts that have been published in various 

 works, respecting living toads found in hollow trees 

 and block* of stone, however extraordinary, seem so 

 well authenticated, that we can scarcely doubt the rea- 

 lity of such occurrences, though we cannot satisfactori- 

 ly account for them. 



There are about thirty-two speck* of toad which are Spcdes. 

 thus distinguished. 



Spectei \. Bufo mdfarit. Common Toad. Pale red- Vulgur. 

 dish-ash coloured, with red pustules above, reddish- 

 white below. 



Lt crapaud entire a putiula rotuet, Daud. viii. p. 1 39. 



S. B. ctWrrw. Cinereous T. Uniformly ash colour. CJIMnoh 

 ed, pustular. 



Le C. cendre, Daud. viii. p. HI. 



S. fi./a**scMfrw. Yellow bellied T. Ash colour- puvivtn. 

 ed and pustular above, sulphur-yellow below. tm. 



Le C. a ttntrtja**r, Daud. viii. p. 143. 



4. B. panamentu. Panama T. Ash coloured ; pus- rmsmen- 

 tules tipt with violet, yellowuh below ; feet semipal- sis. 

 mated. 



LeC.de paitama, Daud. viii. p. 145. 



5. B. bamUmu. Natter-jack T. Olive-brown above, Bombiaur. 



