440 CLASS REPTILIA. 



stantly to be found in the markets of that country ; and those 

 of Italy, in like manner, superabound with them for a certain 

 period of the year. 



The Romans do not appear to have made much use of 

 them as food. Galen says nothing about them in his works. 

 The physicians of the middle ages were in general opposed 

 to their introduction as an aliment, and attributed to them 

 deleterious properties. Aetius, and Juan Rodriguez de Cas- 

 tellobranco, have particularly declared themselves to this 

 eiFect. Others would fain have established a distinction 

 between frogs, of such as are poisonous and such as are 

 harmless. Matthioli, and the celebrated Ulysses Aldrovandi, 

 were of this opinion. The latter even mentions a great num- 

 ber of delicate culinary preparations of which frogs constitute 

 the basis. As, however, we are not writing a book on 

 cookery, and, even if we were, as we should despair of over- 

 coming the gastronomic prejudices of Englishmen in this 

 particular, who consider their abstinence from frogs as an 

 honourable anti-Gallican distincti(m, we shall resist our in- 

 clination to give any additional illustrations of the excellent 

 definition of man, " a cooking animal," though we have no 

 doubt there is as much reason in the fricasseeing of frogs as 

 there is in the roasting of eggs. 



In the sixteenth century, on the continent at least, frogs 

 were served up at the best tables. Champier complains of this 

 taste, which he considers fantastic. It does not, however, ap- 

 pear that this custom was a very ancient one, for, in 1550, the 

 author of a book, entitled " Devis sur la Vigne^^'' tells us that 

 he laughed •' de Perdix quand on lui apporta des grenouilles 

 en fa^on de poullet% fricassee.'''' Thirty years afterwards, 

 Palissy, in his treatise " Des Pierres," thus expresses himself: 

 ^^ Et de mon temps fai veu qu'il se fust trouve Men peu 

 dliommes qui eussents voulu manger ni tortues ni gre- 

 noiiiUes.'" 



