864 



THE BULL-FKOG. 



Its back is of a sombre green colour, varied with black ; the under- 

 parts being of a whitish hue, tinged with green, and thickly spotted. 

 The fore-feet have only four toes, and are unwebbecl ; the hind-feet 

 are large, long, and widely webbed. Its voice may be compared to 

 the distant lowing of a bull, and a chorus of them at night is sufficient 

 to arouse the soundest sleeper. They prey upon ducklings, goslings, 

 and small birds, drowning before devouring them. Spite of its size 



1. Bufo Agua. 



1'ipa Surinamensis. 



and ungainliness, it is very nimble, and can accomplish a leap of 

 upwards of six feet in height. 



Incomplete as is this rapid survey of the Fauna of the New 

 World Deserts, I cannot terminate it without referring to the strange 

 and formidable fish which haunt the pools, lakes, and marshes of 

 South America those Gymnoti, or Electrical Eels, sometimes five, 

 six, and even eight feet long, which emit electrical discharges of suffi- 

 cient violence to strike down a man, a horse, or an ox. It is by 

 this singular property the gymnotus supports its existence ; its shocks 



