THE EDIBLE FROG. 109 



Dumeril used to warn his pupils that the dealers, 

 in collecting frogs, often met with toads, and 

 never rejected them, but cutting off the hind 

 quarters and skinning them, mixed all together, 

 toads and frogs, and sent them to Paris to be 

 eaten. The Chinese have a peculiar taste with 

 regard to frogs, and economize portions which 

 the Parisians reject. Mr. Fortune says : 



They are brought to market in tubs and baskets, and the 

 vendor employs himself in skinning them as he sits making 

 sales. He is extremely expert at this part of his business. 

 He takes up the frog in his left hand, and with a knife 

 which he holds in his right, chops off the fore part of its 

 head. The skin is then drawn back over the body, and 

 down to the feet, which are chopped off and thrown away. 

 The poor frog, still alive but headless, skinless, and feetless, 

 is then thrown into another tub, and the operation is 

 repeated on the rest in the same way. Every now and then 

 the artist lays down his knife, and takes up his scales to 

 weigh these animals for his customers, and make his sales. 

 Everything in this civilized country, whether it be gold or 

 silver, geese or frogs, is sold by weight. 



One of the remembrances of our school-days 

 is of one or two of the big boys who were accus- 

 tomed to astonish their juniors by the singular 

 exhibition of putting little frogs in their mouths, 

 and sometimes swallowing them. In Cheshire, 

 we are told, it is still the practice to catch little 

 frogs and place them alive in the mouths of 

 children suffering from the thrush. Of course 



