3 



6 THE TREE FROGj 



vered with a net, and during the summer he fed it 

 with flies ; but in winter it probably did not eat at 

 all, as only a few insects, with grass and moistened 

 hay, were put to it. During this season it was 

 very lean and emaciated ; but in summer, when its 

 favourite food could be had in plenty, it soon again 

 became fat. In the eighth winter it pined away by 

 degrees, as was supposed, on account of no insects 

 whatever being to be had. 



As Captain Stedman was sailing up one of the 

 rivers of Surinam in a canoe, one of the officers who 

 was with him observed, in the top of a mangrove 

 tree, a battle between a Snake and a Tree Frog. 

 When the captain first perceived them, the head 

 and shoulders of the frog were in the jaws of the 

 snake, which was about the size of a large kitchen 

 poker. This creature had its tail twisted round a 

 tough limb of the mangrove ; while the frog, which 

 appeared about the size of a man's fist, had laid 

 hold of a twig with his hind-feet. In this position 

 they were contending, the one for life, the other 

 for his dinner, forming one straight line between 

 the two branches; and thus they continued for 

 some time, apparently stationary, and without a 

 struggle. Still it was hoped that the poor frog 

 might extricate himself by his exertions : but the 

 reverse was the case. The jaws of the snake gra- 

 dually relaxing, and by their elasticity forming an 

 incredible orifice, the body and fore-legs of the trog 

 by little and little disappeared, till finally nothing 

 more was seen than the hinder feet and claws, 

 which were at last disengaged from the twig, and 



