THE GREEN TREE FROG. 



23 



colouring, which harmonises so well with the green leaves they fre- 

 quent ; remark their tricks and ambuscades ; follow them in their 

 little hunting excursions ; see them suspended in a manner which 

 appears marvellous to those who are not aware of the organs that 

 enable them to adhere to the smoothest bodies ; and it will give as 

 much pleasure to the student of Nature as can be derived from the 

 plumage, habits, and flight of Birds. The croak of the Green Tree 

 Frog is less sharp and more agreeable than that of the other species ; 

 it can be pretty well translated by the syllables caraccarac, pro- 



Green Tree Frog. 



nounced from the throat. It is principally heard in the morning and 

 evening ; and when one frog commences to pipe, all the others 

 imitate it. In the quiet night the voices of these little Batrachians 

 can be heard a long way off. 



Toads (Bufo) are heavy and ungraceful in shape. It is difficult to 

 comprehend why Nature, while it has been so kind to the Frogs 

 and Tree Frogs, has stamped the Toad with so ungainly a form. 

 These much despised beings are very universally distributed, and 

 occupy an important place in the order of Nature. In colour they 

 are usually of a livid grey, spotted with brown and yellow, and 

 disfigured by a number of pustules or warts. A thick and hard skin 

 covers a flat back ; its large belly always appears to be distended to 



