50 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



a safe distance from land. There is a decidedly crafty expres- 

 sion about the countenance, which, combined with a habit of 

 winking or snapping the eyes at their would-be captors, is irre- 

 sistibly ludicrous. Some of these frogs were of a size fully 

 equal to that of two large English frogs {R. temporaria). I 

 managed, with difficulty, to catch some seventeen specimens, 

 which I brought alive to England, hoping, should the herons 

 and rats permit, to establish a colony of them here. They vary 

 considerably in colour and markings, the yellow lines on the 

 back being much more pronounced in some individuals than in 

 others ; in our two largest specimens they were scarcely of a 

 lighter tint than the rest of the back, and in another the upper 

 parts were of a rich brown instead of green. Owing to their 

 extreme shyness and vigilance they were very difficult to catch 

 with a hand-net, but a bent pin and worm proved more effica- 

 cious, and was the means of bringing several to land. Although 

 the noise these frogs make in August is nothing compared with 

 that heard in early summer, they are not altogether silent, but 

 in places where they are numerous may be heard giving tongue 

 in a subdued manner if cautiously approached. We found the 

 tadpole of this species in immense numbers, in ponds near 

 Eouen, and at La Bouille, a few miles lower down the Seine ; 

 they were of large size, equalling a small cherry in bulk, and 

 with the tail measured in many cases nearly two and a half 

 inches. In colour they were of a light greyish brown above, 

 having on the back and the sides of the tail a few small blackish 

 spots ; the under parts thickly studded with minute white 

 specks. They were in various stages of development, some 

 having as yet no signs of limbs, while others had acquired 

 both pairs, and had very little tail remaining. Some of these 

 youngsters were ready to leave the water, and as their colour 

 at this period of existence differs materially from that of the 

 adult, I will attempt to describe that of a specimen I have 

 now alive : — Upper parts light brown or grey, lightest on the 

 head, covered with minute warts of a lighter tint ; a ridge of 

 larger warts of a light colour extends low down along each 

 side, reaching nearly to the hind legs ; lips, sides of head, and 

 legs, speckled with dark brown ; under parts very thickly 

 covered with minute whitish warts ; thighs below, dark flesh- 

 colour. 



