﻿198 
  

  

  THE 
  VERTEBEATE 
  FAUNA 
  OF 
  "DEE." 
  

  

  the 
  University 
  Museum, 
  Aberdeen, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  still 
  preserved. 
  

   Another 
  specimen 
  was 
  caught 
  also 
  in 
  a 
  salmon 
  net, 
  and 
  about 
  

   the 
  same 
  time, 
  at 
  Greenside, 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  east 
  of 
  Macduff, 
  

   and 
  was 
  presented 
  by 
  the 
  Earl 
  of 
  Fife 
  to 
  Banff 
  Museum." 
  

   (Edward.) 
  

  

  Family 
  ANGUIDCE. 
  

  

  Genus 
  ANGUIS. 
  

  

  Anguis 
  fragilis, 
  Linn. 
  Blind-worm. 
  Slow-worm. 
  

  

  Fairly 
  common 
  along 
  the 
  Dee 
  valley, 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  

   neighbourhood 
  of 
  Ballater, 
  where 
  I 
  have 
  found 
  it 
  amongst 
  

   heaps 
  of 
  stones 
  and 
  rubbish. 
  The 
  present 
  state 
  of 
  knowledge 
  

   does 
  not 
  warrant 
  its 
  being 
  said 
  that 
  the 
  Slow 
  -worm 
  is 
  

   generally 
  distributed 
  over 
  " 
  Dee." 
  It 
  has, 
  however, 
  been 
  

   caught 
  on 
  various 
  occasions 
  in 
  the 
  parish 
  of 
  Fyvie. 
  

  

  Class 
  AMPHIBIA. 
  

   Order 
  BATKACHIA, 
  

  

  Family 
  BUFONID^l. 
  

   Genus 
  RANA. 
  

  

  Rana 
  temporaria, 
  Linn. 
  Common 
  Frog. 
  " 
  Paddock." 
  

   « 
  Podduck." 
  " 
  Puddock." 
  

  

  Common 
  in 
  every 
  suitable 
  locality, 
  but 
  is 
  decreasing 
  in 
  

   numbers 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  improvements 
  that 
  have 
  been 
  

   effected 
  over 
  the 
  district 
  on 
  grounds 
  where 
  the 
  Frog 
  formerly 
  

   abounded. 
  As 
  is 
  said 
  by 
  authors, 
  Frogs 
  begin 
  to 
  deposit 
  their 
  

   spawn 
  " 
  about 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  March." 
  This, 
  however, 
  

   depends 
  upon 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  season, 
  i.e., 
  cold 
  or 
  warm 
  ; 
  

   but, 
  speaking 
  generally, 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  that 
  month 
  is 
  the 
  

   usual 
  time, 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  July 
  the 
  spawn 
  has 
  passed 
  

   through 
  its 
  various 
  transformations 
  and 
  become 
  "little 
  

   Frogs," 
  having 
  all 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  their 
  parents, 
  except 
  

   bulk. 
  This, 
  in 
  a 
  general 
  way, 
  is 
  also 
  true 
  ; 
  but 
  we 
  find 
  that, 
  

   by 
  some 
  cause 
  which 
  cannot 
  be 
  explained, 
  some 
  remain 
  in 
  the 
  

   tadpole 
  state 
  during 
  winter. 
  On 
  January 
  19th, 
  1896, 
  my 
  

  

  