CHAPTER V. 



Amphibians: Frogs, Toads, and Newts. 



THE Amphibians, as their name implies, lead a double life, on land and in 

 water, and differ from mammals, such as the seal or the otter, in possessing 

 gills like a fish during the early stages of their existence. They are all produced 

 from eggs, and undergo a remarkable series of metamorphoses in reaching 

 their adult state. The life-history of the frog is so well known that I take 

 for granted that it is familiar to all my readers. Suffice it to say that the 

 stories of the other Amphibians are much the same. If, however, an attempt 

 is made to rear tadpoles in an aquarium, the following hints may be of use : 



1. Have plenty of mud to begin with in the water, as at first they are 

 vegetarians. 



2. Remember that the tadpoles must have food as they develop (I have 

 known too many teachers who thought that somehow or other tadpoles live 

 on water !). Give them water-fleas and other minute water creatures. If 

 you have the proper means of catching these (see Chapter VII.) it takes but 

 a few minutes to get a supply. 



3. Tiny pieces of raw meat may be placed in the water for a meal, or 

 squeezed so that the " juice " runs out ; but after half an hour the whole of 

 the water must be changed, or it will become foul. 



4. As the tadpoles grow, they will eat small worms or larvae and " ants' 

 eggs." 



There are only seven species of Amphibians found in this country two 

 species of Frogs, two of Toads, and three of Newts. The eggs of the frog are 

 laid in masses ; those of the toad, in long double chains ; and those of the newt, 

 one at a time, and deposited in the leaf of some water plant. 



i. The Common Frog (Rana temporaria) needs but little description; 

 but it is worth while to draw attention to the well developed web on the hind- 

 feet, the ear-drums, and the tongue, which is attached to the front of the 

 mouth, its tip extending backwards. With this organ, tipped with a sticky 

 secretion, the frog often catches the insects on which it feeds. Popular fancy 

 still credits the frog and toad with the power of " spitting," as if they were 

 venomous creatures, but there is no truth whatever in the legend ; and though 

 the toad can exude a sticky secretion when attacked, it is its only means of 

 defence. 



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