28 THE EDIBLE FROG. 



ably elevated. The under parts are of a pale 

 whitish colour tinged with green, and marked with 

 irregular brown spots. 



The spawn of the present species is not often de- 

 posited before the month of June. During this sea- 

 son the male is said to croak so loud as to be heard 

 to a great distance. In some particular pieces, where 

 these animals are numerous, their croaking is very 

 oppressive to persons unaccustomed to it. — The 

 globules of spawn are smaller than those of the 

 Common Frog, and the young are considerably 

 longer in attaining their complete state, this seldom 

 taking place till November. They arrive at their 

 full growth in about four years, and live to the age 

 of sixteen or seventeen. — They are excessively vo- 

 racious, frequently seizing young birds, and even 

 mice, which, like the rest of their prey of snails, 

 worms, &c. they swallow whole*. 



These creatures are brought from the country, 

 thirty or forty thousand at a time, to Vienna, and 

 sold to the great dealers, who have conservatories 

 for them, which are large holes, four or five feet 

 deep, dug in the ground, the mouth covered with 

 a board, and in severe weather with straw. In 

 these conservatories, even during a hard frost, the 

 frogs never become quite torpid. When taken out 

 and placed on their backs, they are always sensible 

 of the change, and have strength enough to turn 

 themselves. They get together in heaps, one upon 



* Shaw's Gen. Zool. iii. 103. 



