363 



OlfDEKS OF AMPHIBIAXS— FKOGS AXD TOADS 



The eyes are placed high up, quite above the 

 upper surface of the head, so that the creature 

 can float with only its eyes and nostrils abo\'e 

 water. 



The frog skeleton possesses se^■cral marked 

 peculiarities, some of which must be noted, even 

 though briefly. There are no ribs. The -^'erte- 

 brae are -^-ery few in number, but \-ery wide in 

 comparison with those of other vertebrates. The 

 pelvis is of 'great size, and so long that it forms 

 nearly one-half of the axis of the bod}'. Instead 

 of being attached at its sides, midway from toj) 

 to bottjom, the thigh bones (femora) are attached 



LEOPARD-FROG. 



Ra'iia vi-res'cens. 



at the extreme lower end, — the portion called 

 the is'chi-um. In comparison with other verte- 

 brates, the hind limbs and feet are of enormous 

 proportions ; and when these members are flexed, 

 and then suddenly straightened out, the frog 

 flies forward through the air as if thrown by a 

 powerful steel spring. Some frogs can leap eight 

 feet. 



Although there are no ribs, there is a well-de- 

 veloped breast-l)one, or sternum, for the at- 

 tachment of the fore-legs; and it is said that in 

 the frog the sternum appears for the first time in 

 the develojjment of the ^•ertebrates from the 

 lower forms. 



The members of some groups of tlie frogs and 



toads have teeth in the upper jaw, on a bone 

 called the vomer; others have teeth in both jaws, 

 but the majority are toothless. 



The hibernation habits of these creatures 

 sometimes produce unexpected and remarkable 

 results. Occasionally the public is startled by 

 the publication of a story of a living frog or 

 toad being dug out of solid rock, many feet be- 

 low the surface of the earth. I have no^'er had 

 au opportunity' to investigate any of these al- 

 leged occurrences, but a personal experience has 

 at least furnished food for thought. 



In a hot and dry jungle in the interior of Cey- 

 lon, I once made a search for elephant bones in 

 the dry bed of what in wet weather was a shallow 

 brook. The larger bones were found upon the 

 surface, but so many of the smaller ones had 

 become embedded in the sand that it was neces- 

 sary to dig for them. The sand had become 

 so hard and solid it was half-way toward sand- 

 stone, and our spades and mattocks loosened it 

 with difficulty. 



About eighteen inches below the surface, we 

 came upon several small frogs, three species in 

 all, closely and solidly entombed. Even the 

 ignorant and stolid coolies were amazed and 

 excited by the discovery. The sides of the 

 animals were greatly distended by water, but 

 from the first moment they were in full possession 

 of their faculties. 



As we released these creatures from their tombs 

 and placed them upon the grass, each one dis- 

 gorged a cjuantity of water, and hopped away. 

 E^'identl)^ they had filled themseh'es with water 

 and burrowed into the sand during the previous 

 monsoon, then six months past, in order to live 

 until the next rainy season; and had the annual 

 water-supply of that little stream been per- 

 manently diverted, no one can say how many 

 years these frogs would ha\-e continued to live 

 in their solid tomb of sand. The natives said 

 that excepting in their wells, there was no water 

 anywhere for many miles around. 



THE FAMILY OF WATER-FROGS. 



Rani (he. 



The Common Fvok' is the most popular and 

 well-known species in North America. It is 

 the first to be heard in spring, it gathers in the 



' Ra'na cla-ma'ia. 



