THE SHAD-FROG. 150 



Dr. Livingstone mentions this fine species in his well-known work on Southern Africa, as 

 follows : — 



"Another article of which our children partook with eagerness was a very large Frog, 

 called ' Matlametlo. ' 



"These enormous Frogs, which, when cooked, look like chickens, are supposed by the 

 natives to fall down from the thunder-clouds, because after a heavy shower the pools which 

 are filled, and retain water a few days, become instantly alive with this loud croaking pug- 

 nacious game. This phenomenon takes place in the driest parts of the desert, and in places 

 where to an ordinary observer there is not a sign of life. 



"Having been once benighted in a district of the Kalahari, where there was no prospect 

 of getting water for our cattle for a day or two, I was surprised to hear in the fine, still 

 evening the croaking of Frogs. Walking out until I was certain that the musicians were 

 between me and our fire, I found that they could be merry on nothing else but a prospect 

 of rain. 



" From the bushmen I afterwards learned that the Matlametlo makes a hole at the root of 

 certain bushes, and there ensconces himself during the months of drought. As he seldom 

 emerges, a large variety of spider takes advantage of the hole, and makes its web across the 

 orifice. He is thus furnished with a window and screen gratis, and no one but a bushman 

 would think of searching beneath a spider's web for a Frog. They completely eluded any 

 search on the occasion referred to; and as they rush forth into the hollows filled by the thun- 

 der-showers when the rain is actually falling, and the Bechuanas are cowering under their 

 skin garments, the sudden chorus struck up simultaneously from all sides seems to indicate 

 a descent from the clouds. 



"The presence of these Matlametlo in the desert in a time of drought was rather a 

 disappointment, for I had been accustomed to suppose that the note was always emitted by 

 them when they were chin-deep in water. Their music was always regarded in other 

 spots as the most pleasant sound that met the ear after crossing portions of the sandy 

 desert; and I could fully appreciate the sympathy for these animals shown by iEsop, himself 

 an African." 



It is a large and handsome species, but becomes duller in color as it increases in age. The 

 young, however, are very lightly tinted. The general color is greenish-brown above, with a 

 decided rusty wash, variegated with mottlings of reddish-brown, and streaked and spotted 

 with yellow. The green takes a brighter and purer hue along the sides of the head and legs. 

 The abdomen is yellow, mottled with orange, and the chin is striped and splashed with brown. 

 The eyes are very curious and beautiful, being of a rich chestnut hue, covered with a profusion 

 of little golden-white dots, which shine with a metallic lustre. 



When young, the yellow lines on the body are edged with jetty-black, and the legs are 

 covered with bold black bars. The head is stout and rather flat, and the skin of the body 

 is puckered into longitudinal folds. The lower jaw is remarkable for two large, bony, tooth- 

 like projections in front. The ordinary length of a full-grown specimen is about six inches. 



We now come to the very large genus of which the common Frog is so familiar an 

 example, and which finds representatives in all except cold latitudes. The very handsome 

 Shad-Frog derives its popular name from its habit of making its appearance on land at the 

 same time that the shads visit the shore. The specific title tialecina also alludes to this cir- 

 cumstance, as the Indian word for a shad is halec. 



This Frog requires much moisture, and is seldom seen at any distance from the banks of 



rivers or pools of fresh water. Sometimes, however, when the dew lies very heavily on the 



grass, the Shad-Frog makes its w T ay over the fields to spots far from the water-side, but takes 



care to return before the hot sunbeams have dried up the grateful moisture of the herbage. 



The food of this reptile consists chiefly of insects. It is a very active creature, and ever lively, 



making leaps of eight or ten feet in length. 

 Vol. m.-ao. 



