RANA ESCULENTA. 117 



less common in England than the Rana temporaria. At Vienna 

 and in many parts of France, where a great consumption of frogs 

 takes place, they are fattened up in froggeries {greiionilliSres) 

 constructed for the express purpose. They are caught either with 

 lines baited with a small bit of scarlet cloth, or in nets, or by 

 means of a rake, which brings them ashore along with the mud. 



" It is in autumn, at the moment in which they plunge into the 

 water, where they are about to pass the winter, that their flesh is 

 in most estimation, for at this time it is fatter and of a more 

 delicate flavour. Nevertheless, a greater quantity of it is eaten in 

 spring than in any other season, for the frogs are then more easily 

 caught. There are places in which deposits of frogs are kept in 

 reserve, in gardens furnished with pieces of water, and closed round 

 by walls, to be sold at all times to amateurs. About a century ago 

 or more, they were in great request in Paris. A native of Au- 

 vergne, named Simon, made a considerable fortune by fattening 

 up, in a suburb of that city, the frogs which he had collected in 

 his own country. At present they are much less generally eaten 

 in France ; but they are constantly to be found in the markets of 

 that country, and those of Italy, in like manner, superabound with 

 them for a certain period of the year. 



" The Romans do not appear to have made much use of them 

 as food. Galen says nothing about them in his works. The 

 physicians of the middle ages were in general opposed to their 

 introduction as an aliment, and attributed to them deleterious 

 properties. Aetius, and Juan Rodriguez de Castellobranco, have 

 particularly declared themselves to this effect. Others would fain 

 have established a distinction between frogs of such as are poi- 

 sonous and such as are harmless. Matthioli and the celebrated 

 Ulysses Aldrovandi were of this opinion. The latter even men- 

 tions a great number of delicate culinary preparations of which 

 frogs constitute the basis. In the sixteenth century, on the con- 

 tinent at least, frogs were served up at the best tables. Champier 

 complains of this taste, which he considers fantastic. It does not, 

 however, appear that this custom was a very ancient one, for, in 

 1550, the author of a book entitled ' Devis sur la Vigne,' tells us 

 that he laughed, ' de Perdix quand on lui apporta des grenouilles 



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