A Monthly Magazine of Natural History. 



Past 75. MARCH, 1886. Vol. 7. 



THE COMMON FROG. 



(Rana temjjoraria.J 

 By W. H. WARNER. 



The haunts of this well-known reptile are principally of a watery nature, 

 its favourite resorts being pools, ditches, wells, and stagnant water generally ; 

 still it is often found on land, but even then in the dampest places only. It 

 abounds in great numbers over the whole kingdom, even in that reptile-hating 

 country, Ireland. In the latter it is not indigenous, but was introduced 

 " about the beginning of the eighteenth century by Dr. Gwythers, a Physician 

 and Fellow of the University of Dublin, who brought over with him a parcel 

 of frogs from England to Ireland, in order to propagate the species in that 

 kingdom, and threw them into the ditches of the University Park. These all 

 perished, whereupon he sent to England for some bottles of the frog-spawn, 

 which he threw into those ditches, by which means the species of frogs was 

 propagated in Ireland. However, their number was so small in 1720, that 

 a frog was nowhere to be seen except in the neighbourhood of University 

 Park, but within six or seven years after they spread thirty, forty or fifty 

 miles over the country, and so at last by degrees over the whole nation/' 



About the end of February, or the beginning of March, the naturalist com- 

 mences his rambles for the season, for at that time the early spring sun begins 

 to exert its influence on the whole animal world. The lovely butterfly, fresh 

 from its winter sleep, is seen poised on the first flower of spring ; the bee 

 ventures forth from the snug hive ; and the industrious ants troop forth to 

 begin anew their life of activity ; the woods are vocal with the joyous songs of 

 the blackbird and thrush; and the nodding snowdrop, the pale primrose, and 

 the " wee modest violet" begin to peep from the hedgerow and coppice. At 

 this time, too, the frog awakes from its hybernal lethargy, and disports itself 

 gaily in our ponds and ditches. A few days later the surfaces of our weedy 

 pools and ditches may be seen partly covered with gelatinous masses of spawn. 

 These jelly-like m^ssets are composed of round, semi-transparent globes or 



