£-*8 
measure, to acquiesce in the general testi- 
mony ol those v, ho had seen it in its native 
waters, and who declared it to be at length 
transmuted, not into a frog, but a fish ! and 
it was even added by some, that it afterwards 
reverted to its tadpole form again ! ! That it 
is really no other than a irog in its larva or 
tadpole state, will be evident to every one 
wno considers its structure ; and more espe- 
cially, if it is collated with the tadpole even 
or some European frogs. Like our European 
tadpoles, this animal, according to the more 
or less advanced state in which it is found, is 
furnished either with all the four legs, or 
xyith only the two hinder ones: it also some- 
times happens that in the largest-sized of 
these tadpoles, exceeding perhaps the length 
ot six or eight inches, the hind legs alone ap- 
pear ; while in those of far smaller size both 
the fore and hind legs are equally conspicu- 
ous. 
It will readily appear that the larva of this 
Frog is larger in proportion to the complete 
animal than in any other species hitherto dis- 
covered. It may also be not improper to 
observe, that perhaps all the specimens of 
these very large tadpoles occurring in mu- 
seums, may not be those of the rana para- 
Moxa in particular, bat of some other Ame- 
rican, African, or Asiatic frogs, as the. R. 
ocellata, marina, See. See Frog-fish, Vol. 
I. p. 780. 
Hylce, or frogs with rather slender bodies, 
long limbs, and the tips of the toes flat, orbi- 
cular, and dilated. 
6. Rana zebra, zebra-frog, appears to be 
by far the largest of all the hylae, or slender- 
bodied frogs, and is, according to Seba, a 
native of Carolina and Virginia. Its colour 
is an elegant pale rufous-brown, beautifully 
marked on the back and limbs, and even to 
the ends of the toes, with transverse chesnut- 
colourecl bands, which on the limbs ar® dou- 
ble and much more numerous than on the 
back ; the fore feet are tetradactylous, and 
the hind pentadactylous ; the head is large 
in proportion, the eyes protuberant, and the 
mouth wide. It measures about live inches. 
7. Rana arhorea, tree-frog. In the beauty 
«f its colours, as well as in the elegance of its 
formapd the agility of its movements, the tree- 
frog exceeds every other European species. 
It is a native of France, Germany, Italy, and 
many other European regions, but is not 
found in the British islands. Its principal 
residence, during the summer months, is on 
the upper parts of trees, w here it wanders 
among the foliage in quest of insects, which 
it catches with extreme celerity, stealing soft- 
Jy.toward its prey in the manner of a cat to- 
wards a mouse, and when at the proper dis- 
tance, seizing it with a sudden spring, fre- 
quently of more than a foot in height. It 
often suspends itself to the under parts of the 
leaves, thus continuing concealed beneath 
their shade. Its size is smaller than any 
other European frog, except the fire-frog. 
Its colour on the upper parts is green, more 
©r less bright in different individuals; the 
abdomen is whitish, and marked by nume- 
rous granules ; the under surface of the limbs 
is reddish, and the body marked on each side 
by a longitudinal blackish or violet-coloured 
streak. The body is smooth above, and 
moderately short above; the hind legs are 
very long and slender ; the fore feet have 
four and the hind feet five toes, all .of which 
RANA. 
terminate in rounded, flat, and dilated tips, 
the under surface of which, being soft and 
glutinous, enables the animal to hang with 
perfect security from the leaves of trees, &c. 
The skin of the abdomen is also admirably 
calculated by nature for this peculiar power 
of adhesion, being covered with small glan- 
dular granules in such a manner as to fasten 
closely even to the most polished surface; 
and the animal can adhere at pleasure to 
that of glass, in whatever position or inclina- 
tion it is placed, by merely pressing itself 
against it. 
Though the tree-frog inhabits the woods 
during the summer months, yet on the ap- 
proach of winter it retires to tifo w'aters, and 
there submerging itself in the soft mud, or 
concealing itself beneath the banks, remains 
in a state of torpidity, and again emerges in 
the spring, at which period it deposits its 
spawn in the waters, like the rest of this 
genus. During their residence among the 
trees, they are observed to be particularly 
noisy on the approach of rain ; so that they 
may be considered, in some measure, as a 
kind of living barometers ; more especially 
the males, which, if kept in glasses, and sup- 
plied with proper food, will afford an infal- 
lible presage of the changes of weather. 
Toads. 8. Rana bufo, common toad. Of 
all the European toads, this seems to be the 
most universally known ; at least, in its com- 
plete or perfect form. It is found in gardens, 
woods, and fields ; and frequently makes its 
way into cellars, or any obscure recesses in 
which it may occasionally conceal itselt, and 
where it. may find a supply of food, or a se- 
curity from too great a degree of cold. In 
the early part of spring, like others of this ge- 
nus, it retires to the waters, where it continues 
during the breeding-season, and deposits its 
ova or spawn in the form of double necklace- 
like chains or strings of beautifully transparent 
gluten, and of the length of three or four feet. 
The toad is an animal too well known to 
require any very particular description ol its 
form. It may be necessary to observe that 
it is always covered by tubercles, or eleva- 
tions on the skin, of larger or smaller size in 
different individuals ; and that the general 
colour of the animal is an obscure brown 
above, much paler and irregularly spotted 
beneath. 
The toad arrives at a considerable age; its 
general term of life being supposed to extend 
to 15 or even 20 years : and Mr. Pennant, in 
his British Zoology, gives us a curious ac- 
count, communicated by a Mr. Arscott of 
Tehott in Devonshire, of a load’s having- 
lived, in a kind of domestic state, for the 
space of more than 40 years, and of having 
been in a great degree tamed, or reclaimed 
from its natural shyness or desire of conceal- 
ment ; since it would always regularly come 
out of its hole at the approach of its master, 
&c. in order to be fed. It grew to a very 
large size, and was considered as so singular 
a curiosity, that evert ladies, laying aside 
their usual aversion and pi ejudices, request- 
ed to see the favourite toad. It was, there- 
fore, often brought to table, and fed with 
various insects, which it seized with great 
celerity, and without seeming to be embar- 
rassed by the presence of company. This 
extraordinary animal generally resided in a 
hole beneath the steps of the house-door, 
fronting the garden ; and might probably 
have survived many years longer, had it not 
been severely wounded by a raven, which 
seized it before it could take refuge in its 
hole ; and notwithstanding it was liberated 
from its captor, it never again enjoyed its 
usual health, though it continued to live 
above a year alter the accident happened. 
With 'respect to the supposed venomous 
qualities of the toad, from the experiments of 
Laurenti, it appears that small lizards, on 
biting the common toad, were for some time 
disordered and paralytic, and even appeared 
to be dead, but in a lew hours were com- 
pletely recovered. 
It is also observed, that dogs, on seizing a 
toad, and carrying it lor some little time in 
their mouth, will appear to be affected with 
a very slight swelling ol the lips, accompa- 
nied by an increased evacuation ot saliva; 
the mere effect ot tne slightly acrimonious 
fluid which the toad on irritation exudes 
from its skin, and Which seems, in this coun- 
try at least, to produce no dangerous sy mp- 
toms in such animals as happen to taste or 
swallow it. T he limpid fluid also, which 
this animal discharges when disturbed, is a 
mere watry liquor, perfectly free from any 
acrimonious or noxious qualities, and appear- 
ing to be no other than tiie contents ot a pe- 
culiar reservoir, common to this tribe, des- 
tined for some purpose in the economy of 
the animals which does not yet appear to be 
clearly understood. The common toad may 
therefore be pronounced innoxious, or per- 
fectly free from any poisonous properties, at 
least with respect to any of the larger ani- 
mals ; and the innumerable tales recited by 
the older writers of its supposed venom, ap- 
pear to be either gross exaggerations, or else 
to have related to the effects of some other 
species mistaken for the common toad ; it 
being certain that some of this genus exude 
lrom their skin a highly acrimonious fluid. 
It might seem unpardonable to conclude 
the history of this animal without mentioning 
the very extraordinary circumstance of its’ 
having been occasionally discovered enclosed 
or imbedded, without any "visible outlet, or 
even any passage for air, in the substance of 
wood, and even in that of stone or blocks of 
marble. 
On this subject a curious experiment was 
made by Mons. Herrissant ot the French 
academy, in consequence of an assertion, that 
in the year 1771, oil pulling down a wall at a 
seat belonging to the duke of Orleans, and 
which had been built 4l) years, a living toad 
had been found in it ; its hind feet being 
confined or imbedded in the mortar. M. 
Herrissant therefore, in the presence of the 
academy, inclosed three toads in as many 
boxes, which were immediately covered with 
a thick coat ot piaister or mortar, and kept 
in the apartments of the academy. On 
opening tiiese boxes eighteen months after- 
wards, two of the toads were found still liv- 
ing : these were immediately re-inclosed ; 
hut on being again opened some months 
after, were found dead. These experiments 
are perhaps not very conclusive; and only, 
appear to prove what was before well known, 
V;z. that the toad, like many other amphi- 
bia, can support a long abstinence, and re- 
quires but a small quantity of air: but in the 
accounts generally given of toads discovered 
in stones, wood, Sec. the animals are said ts 
