34 THE TREE FROG. 



names of Damon and Musidora. In the hot weather, 

 whenever they descended to the floor, they soon be- 

 came lank and emaciated. In the evening they sel- 

 dom failed to go into the water, unless the weather 

 was cold and damp; in which case they would some- 

 times remain out a couple of days. When they were 

 out of the water, if a few drops were thrown upon 

 the board, they always applied their bodies as close 

 to it as they could; and from this absorption through 

 the skin, though they were flaccid before, they soon 

 again appeared plump. A Tree Frog that had not 

 been in the water during the night was weighed, and 

 then immersed : after it had remained about half 

 an hour in the bowl it came out, and was found to 

 have absorbed nearly half its own weight of water. 

 From other experiments on the Tree Frogs, it was 

 discovered that they frequently absorbed nearly their 

 whole weight of water ; and that, as was clearly 

 proved, and is very remarkable, by the under sur- 

 face only of the body. They will even absorb 

 moisture from wetted blotting-paper. Sometimes 

 they eject water with a considerable force from their 

 bodies, to the quantity of a fourth part or more of 

 their own weight *. 



Both Frogs and Toads will frequently suffer their 

 natural food to remain before them untouched, yet 

 on the smallest motion it makes they instantly seize 

 it. A knowledge of this circumstance enabled Dr. 

 Townson to feed his favourite Tree Frog, Musidora, 



* Townson's Tracts, 51. 



