the common Frog takes its Food, 327 



it may not be unacceptable to some, at least, of your readers. 

 The friend to whom I am indebted for having first called my 

 attention to this amusing exhibition was himself introduced to 

 it by mere accident. He happened to be repotting some 

 green-house plants, and meeting with a moderate-sized worm 

 among the roots of one of them, he carelessly threw it aside 

 into a damp corner near the green-house. Almost imme- 

 diately a frog issued from his lurking-place hard by, com- 

 menced his attack upon the worm, and soon despatched it. 

 Another worm was thrown to him, which he treated in the 

 same manner. But the amusing part of the business is to 

 watch the manner in which the frog first notices his prey ; 

 and this I can compare to nothing so aptly as to what, 

 indeed, it very much resembles, a pointer-dog setting his 

 game ; he makes, in short, a dead set at it, oftentimes, 

 too (if the relative position of the two animals so require 

 it), with a slight bend or inclination, more or less, of the 

 forepart of the body to one side, just as we oflen see a 

 pointer turn suddenly, when the game is on one side of 

 him, and he has approached very near before he has per- 

 ceived it. After a pause of some seconds or more the frog 

 makes a dart at the worm, endeavouring to seize it with his 

 mouth ; in this attempt he frequently fails more than once ; 

 and generally waits for a short interval, acting the pointer, as 

 it were, between each attack. Having succeeded at last in 

 getting the worm into his mouth, if it be a large one, he is 

 unable to swallow it immediately and all at once; and the 

 portion of the worm which yet remains unswallowed, and 

 extends out of the mouth of its destroyer, of course wreaths 

 about, and struggles with a tortuous motion. With much, 

 but somewhat grotesque, dexterity, the frog then employs 

 his two fore feet, shoving and bandying the worm, first with 

 one, and then with the other, in order to keep it as nearly as 

 may be in the centre of his mouth, till the whole is swallowed. 

 Any of your readers who are fond of marking the actions and 

 habits of animals I strongly recommend to try the experiment. 



They have only to find a frog, taking care not to alarm 

 him more than need be, and throw down a w^orm near him, 

 and they will be pretty sure to be soon gratified by the sight 

 of what I have endeavoured, however imperfectly, to de- 

 scribe. I ought to add that, to be successful, the experiment 

 should be made in the summer, say June or July, as I am 

 informed (but do not vouch for the fact) that, except for a 

 few months in the summer, the frog is wholly abstemious. 



What an admirable subject would the above have been for 

 Bewick ! Had he ever chanced to have witnessed the scene, I 



