' GREEN TREE EEOG. 25 



they are far more graceful. During tiie summer they lire upon the 

 leaves of trees in damp woods, and pass the winter at the bottom 

 of some pond, which the}' do not leave till the month of May, 

 after having deposited their eggs. They feed on small insects, 

 worms, and mollusks ; and in order to catch them, they will 

 remain in the same place an entire day. During the glare of the 

 sun, they remain hidden amongst the leaves ; but when twilight 

 approaches, they move about and climb up the trees. We must 

 repeat of these Green Tree Frogs what we have already said of 

 Frogs. Get rid of all prejudice towards their kind, and then j^ou 

 will examine with pleasure their lively colours, which harmonize 

 so well with the green leaves ; remark their tricks and ambus- 

 cades ; follow them in their little hunting excursions ; see them 

 suspended upside down upon the leaves in a manner which 

 appears marvellous to those who are not aware of the organs 

 which have been given to enable them to attach themselves to the 

 smootliest bodies : and it will give as much pleasure as can be 

 derived from the consideration of the jDlumage, habits, and flight 

 of birds. The croak of the Green Tree Frogs is like that of other 

 Frogs, although less sharp and sometimes stronger in the males ; 

 it can bo pretty well translated by the syllables caraccarac, pi'O- 

 nounced from the throat. This cry is jjrincipally heard in the 

 morning and evening ; then, when one Frog begins to utter its 

 croak, all the others imitate it. In the quiet night the voice of 

 a troop of these little Batrachians sometimes reaches to an enor- 

 mous distance. 



Toads, Bufo, are squat and disagreeable in shape : it is difficult 

 to comprehend why nature, which has bestowed elegance and a 

 kind of grace upon Frogs and Tree Frogs, has stamped tlie Toad 

 with so repulsive a form. These much despised beings occupy 

 a large place in the order of nature : thej are distributed with pro- 

 fusion, but one cannot say exactlj^ to what end ; their movements ai'e 

 heavy and sluggish. In colour they are usually of a livid grey, 

 spotted with brown and yellow, and disfigured by a number of pus- 

 tules or warts. A thick and hard skin covers a Hat back; its large 

 belly alwaj's appears to be swollen ; the head a little broader than 

 the rest of its body ; the mouth and the eyes are large and pro- 

 minent. It lives chiefly at the bottom of ditchas, especially those 



