354 



NATURAL HISTORY. 



pipiens vel mugiens). It has a large head, green above and yellowish-white below. The body is 

 large, green in front, dusky-olive behind, and has irregular black blotches. The under parts are yellowish- 

 white, and the limbs are dusky, with black bars. The iris is of a beautiful golden colour with black 

 marks, and the tympanum is large and is bronzed. It reaches from thirteen to twenty-one inches in 



EDIDLE FKOG. 



length, limbs included. They are very active and leap to a great distance, and yet it is a very aquatic 

 Frog, and they will live in the water for years. Sluggish rivers and stagnant ponds are their delight, 

 and except in the breeding season, they are solitary. Then they collect in hundreds, and their croak 

 is very loud, and they may be heard half a mile off. When taking the water they skim along the 

 surface at first. Insects, small Crustacea, and snails are their food, and they ai'e found in every part 

 of the United States, and as far north as Quebec. 



There are none of these True Frogs in Australia, or in the Islands of the Pacific. 



