190 A GARDEN DIARY 
dilations of the chest, Nature not having provided 
them with ribs, but by the doubtless more archaic 
process of swallowing air. Not only would a frog 
die if kept too long under water, but—seeing that 
it can only swallow air by shutting its mouth— 
were that mouth kept forcibly open it would equally 
die, and from the same cause, namely, want of 
breath. Tadpoles, on the other hand, are strictly 
water-breathers, and until they have shed their 
gills, have no more need to go to the surface to - 
breathe than a fish has. That, by the way is not 
an absolutely accurate illustration, seeing that 
certain fishes do need to go to the surface for 
air. The famous Anabas, or “climbing perch” 
of India, is such an air-breathing fish, the air 
reaching it by means of cavities on either side 
of its gills, and if prevented from reaching the 
surface, and renewing the supply, it would “drown 
like a dog,” or so the scientists assert. Such 
cases, however, can hardly be called normal. 
Fishes that can live comfortably for days out of 
the water, that can nest in a bush, and travel 
across a particularly dry country, are not likely 
to be met with in zoologic rambles about this 
parish. 
Returning to our Irish frogs, it is an odd fact, 
especially considering their recent introduction, 
that in addition to swarming over the lowlands, 
and in every place dear to frogs, they have learnt 
to climb long distances up hill, and to establish 
