ORDER BATRACHIA. 433 



animals instead of drinking water with the mouth, absorb it 

 by the sole means of their skin, and instead of returning it 

 by the urinary organs, return it by transpiration. If living 

 frogs be placed on wet paper, at the end of an hour and a 

 half their weight will be doubled. Such, at least, is the 

 result of the observations of Townson and Daudin. 



These reptiles are usually found on the ground in humid 

 places, in the grass of meadows, and on the banks of stream- 

 lets, into which they continually leap and dive. They swim 

 well and without difficulty by means of their hinder feet, the 

 toes being united by a membrane. But they seldom sustain 

 themselves between two waters. They are almost always seen 

 either at the bottom, or at the surface, and constantly when 

 the weather is fine upon the banks. 



It is only during the summer that the frogs are to be seen 

 springing about our fields and meadows in the neighbour- 

 hood of waters, or swimming in our ponds and rivulets. 

 Frequently, at the close of warm rains in the fine season, 

 they spread themselves through the country, and are so 

 numerous as to be pressed and crowded against each other 

 in places where they were not observed before. To this 

 phenomenon is owing the existence of the popular belief in 

 the rains of frogs, a very ancient prejudice, and still fully 

 accredited in the provincial parts of many countries in 

 Europe. Elian informs us that going from Naples to Puz- 

 zuoli, he observed a rain of this description. Aristotle had 

 noted this fact before, and would even seem to consider that 

 those frogs which appeared in this sudden manner were a 

 peculiar species, under the name of ^(ottstwc, that is, sent by 

 Jupiter. 



These frog-rains, of which a great number of other writers 

 make mention, have occasioned much embarrassment to those 

 who, considering the phenomenon as real, have been desirous 



VOL. IX. 2 F 



