ClafsIl. COMMON FROG. 5 
rying fo difagreeable a load. Thefe frogs we ima- 
pine to have been males difappointed of a mate. 
The croaking of frogs is well known, and from 
that in fenny'countries they are diftinguifhed by lu- 
dicrous titles, thus they are ftiled Dutch Nightingales 
and Bofton Waites ; even the Stygian frogs have not 
efcaped notice, for Jriffophanes hath gone farther, 
and formed a chorus of them. 
Boemexif, noak, xoak, 
Beenexse, xook, xoak, 
Aipvaia xenvav TEKva Fa 
Brekekex, coax, coax, 
Brekekex, coax, coax, 
The offspring of the pools and fountains. 
Yet there is a time of year when they become 
mute, neither croaking nor opening their mouths for 
a whole month: this happens in the hot feafon, and 
that is in many places known to the country people 
by the name of the Paddock Moon. 
- Morton** endeavours to findareafon for their filence, 
but tho’ his fats are true, he is unfortunate in his 
philofophy. 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 -miftakes 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 neceffary to 
fay, that in whatever ftate the air was received, it 
* Comedy of the Frogs. ** Hift. Northampt. 441- 
B 3 would 
Periodi- - 
cal Si- 
lence, 
