86 Notes and Comments. 
of contemporary furniture, and there would also be loans from 
private individuals. The Libraries Committee already had 
sufficient material to set the museum going on a sound ‘basis. 
It was intended that the museum should be a sort of reflection 
of the history and antiquities of the city, and he believed the 
building would be opened with a “ flourish of trumpets.” 
There were precedents in other cities, he pointed out, for such 
a museum. In reply to the question as to whether it was 
robbing Peter to pay Paul, Mr. Woods stated that as a matter 
of fact they would be very glad to get rid of considerable 
material at the Cartwright Hall. We hope there will be a 
curator appointed to assist in the ‘ blowing of trumpets * ! 
FROGS IN COAL. 
Notwithstanding the war, the newspapers evidently are 
able to find room for the revival of the silly old fables of frogs 
in coal, the London Daily Chronicle being the latest to succumb 
to the stories. It seems that Sir Francis Brain records the 
discovery of a live frog in the 20 inch seam in the Trafalgar 
Colliery. He says: ‘It would be interesting if those com- 
petent to express an opinion would say how they think it can 
have been sustained under such circumstances, and over such 
a very long period—many, many thousands of years.’ He also 
informs us that he is presenting the frog to the British Museum, 
where we have no doubt it will be placed in a suitable repository. 
GEORGINA THOMPSON’S FROG. 
This record is followed up by Georgina Thompson in the 
following note: ‘In 1875, when my husband was Vicar of 
Aldeburgh, Suffolk, we were in the old Manor House while the 
vicarage was rebuilding. One morning I was dressing my 
baby in a ground floor room, and broke a large coal on the fire. 
Instantly there leapt out from it a black frog or toad, which 
began crawling on the flannel apron I was wearing. Being 
startled, I put the baby down, opened the window and shook 
the creature off. I was afterwards vexed to have done this, 
and went out to try and find it. Snow was on the ground, so 
my search was not long. I did not find it. It was as black as 
the coal; very thin, though rather long, and quite lively.’ 
It is a pity the frog was not found, as the British Museum 
might then have had two, and put them in a pond like the 
proverbial gondolas! In this case it is fairly obvious, of 
course, that the frog had been tumbled out of his hiding place 
in the coalhouse and thrown on the fire, and naturally jumped 
off as quickly as he could. 
COUNTRY LIFE. 
This, one of the best illustrated papers of a general type that 
we know, has recently paid particular attention to natural 
Naturalist, 
