COMMON FROG. Class III. 



to the country people by the name of the Paddock 

 Moon-. I am informed that for that period, their 

 mouths are fo clofed, that no force (without kil- 

 ling the animal) will be capable of opening them. 



Morten^ endeavours to find a reafon for their 

 filence, but tho' his fads are true, he is unfortu- 

 nate in his phiiofophy. Frogs are certainly endued 

 (as he well obferved) with a power of living a 

 good while under water without refpiration, which 

 is owing to their lungs being compofed of a feries 

 of bladders: but he millakes the nature of air, when 

 he affirms that they receive a quantity of cool air, 

 and dare not open their mouths for a month, 

 from a dread of admitting a warmer into their 

 lungs. It is hardly neceiTary to fay, that in what- 

 ever (late the air was received, it would affimilate 

 itielf to the external atmofphere in a fhort time. 

 We mud leave the fad to be accounted for by 

 farther experiments. But from what we do know, 

 we may partly vindicate Theophrafius^ and other 

 antients, about the filence of the frogs at Seriphus. 

 That philofopher affirms it, but afcribes it to the 

 coldnefs of the waters in that ifland : Now when 

 Monfieur 'Tournefort was there, the v/aters were 

 lukewarm, and the frogs had recovered their 

 voices -f . Is it not probable that T'heophraftus 

 might be at Seriphns at that feafon when the frogs 

 were mute, and having never obferved it elfewhere, 



* HiJ}. Norihampt. 441. 

 f Tournefort^ s <voy» I, 142. 



might 



