THE MUSEUM 
INSTITUTE OF ARTS AND SCIKNCKS 
: K X C E B l" L I, E T ] 
LONC3 ISLAND FAUNA AND FLORA.— 111. 
THE FROGS AXI) ToADS . Order SALIEXTU\ ) 
Bv Frank Ovkktox, A. M.. M. D. 
Frogs and toads belong to a class of animals that is often called 
Amphibia, from two Greek words meaning "double life," referring to 
the ability to live either on the land or in the water. Since many 
mammals, such as beavers and muskrats, are markedly amphibious, the 
Amphibia are more correctly called Batrachia, from the Greek /Sarpuxos, 
frog. The batrachians are divided into two orders ; the Urodela (Gr. 
oipd. tail), or salamanders, in which the tails are retained in adult life ; 
and the Salientia ( Lat. sn/iais. jiunping), or frogs and toads, in which 
the tails are lost in the adult forms. 
Di.sTiXGri,sniX(; chak.vcteristics. Batrachians form a cla.ss which 
is in many respects intermediate between the reptiles and the fishes. A 
distinguishing feature is that the bodies of mo.st newlx' hatched reptiles 
and fishes are adult in form, while the bodies of batrachians imdergo a 
metamorphosis or marked change before the}- acquire their adult forms. 
The skins of most reptiles and fishes are .scaly, while the skins of 
batrachians are onl\- exceptionally scaly. Adult batrachians are further 
distinguished from fi.shes bv the j^re.sence of legs instead of fins. Tad- 
])oles are distinguished from fishes by their large heads, and b\- the 
ab.sence of bon\- rays in their fins. 
Among the liatrachiaus, the Urodela (salamanders i have tails, 
elongated bodies, and their legs are all nearly equal in size. Among the 
Salientia (frogs and toads), the adults have no tails ; their bodies are 
short and stout : their fore legs are short and .small : and their hind legs 
are long and large, and are well fitted for jumping or swimming. 
The ])opular idea of the difference between frogs and toads is that 
frogs live in the water and toads on the land. Some frogs spend the 
most of their time on the land away from any bod\- of water ; while toads 
spend days and weeks in the water during the breeding seasons, and 
during that time they di\-e and swim as exjiertlx- as frogs. The dif- 
