102 OUR REPTILES. 



As an island, we possess,, not only idiosyncrasies 

 but also animals, insects, or plants which are 

 somewhat peculiar; yet because we are sur- 

 rounded by the sea now, that is no reason why 

 we should regard our " tight little island " as 

 a world of our own, and forget our relationships 

 with the old continent from which we "seceded" 

 many long years ago. 



The following is Mr. Berney's account of his 

 introduction of the edible frog into this country. 



I went to Paris in 1837, and brought home two hundred 

 edible frogs and a great quantity of spawn. These were de- 

 posited in the ditches and in the meadows at Morton, in 

 some ponds at Hockering, and some were placed in the fens 

 at Foulden, near Stoke Ferry. They did not like the 

 meadows, and left them for ponds. In 1841, I imported 

 another lot from Brussels. In 1842, 1 brought over from St. 

 Omer thirteen hundred, in large hampers, made like slave 

 ships, with plenty of tiers ; these were rnoveable, and were 

 covered with water-lily leaves, stitched on to them, that the 

 frogs might be comfortable and feel at home. These were 

 dispersed about in the above-mentioned places, and many 

 hundreds were put into the fens at Foulden and in the neigh- 

 bourhood.* 



In 1853 Mr. A. Newton and his brother were 

 driving along the road between Thetford and 

 Scoulton, in Norfolk, and hearing an unusual 

 noise, stopped to ascertain the cause. His brother 

 alighted and entered the meadow whence the 



* The Zoologist, p. 6539. 



