506 Reptiles. 
of the water. The hinder legs of the Frog are much 
longer than the fore ones, to help it in its repeated and 
extensive leaps. The whole of the body bears a little 
resemblance to some of the warm-blooded animals, prin- 
cipally about the thighs and the toes. The Frog is ex- 
tremely tenacious of life, and often survives the abscission 
of its head for several hours. It is supposed that Frogs 
spend the whole winter at the bottom of some stagnant 
water in a state of torpidity. 
There are several species of the Frog ; they are all 
oviparous, and the eggs are gelatinous. The Edible Frog 
is the species used in France and Germany for food ; it 
is considerably larger than the common kind, and though 
rare in England, is very plentiful in France, Germany, 
and Italy. Its colour is olive green, marked with black 
patches on the back, and on its limbs with transverse 
bars of the same. From the tip of the nose three distinct 
stripes of pale yellow extend to the extremity of the 
body, the middle one slightly depressed, and the lateral 
ones considerably elevated. The upper parts are of a 
pale whitish colour, tinged with green, and marked with 
irregular brown spots. These creatures are brought 
from the country, thirty or forty thousand at a time, to 
Vienna, and sold to the great dealers, who have frog- 
geries for them, which are pits four or five feet deep, 
dug in the ground, the mouth covered with a board, and 
in severe weather with straw. In the year 1793, there 
were but three great dealers in Vienna, by whom those 
persons who brought them to the markets ready for the 
cook were supplied. Only the legs and thighs are eaten, 
and these are always skinned. They are rather dear, 
being considered a great delicacy. The Edible Frogs 
are caught in various ways, sometimes in the night, by 
means of nets, into which they are attracted by the light 
of torches that are carried out for the purpose, and some- 
times by hooks, baited with worms, insects, flesh, or 
even a bit of red cloth. They are exceedingly voracious, 
and seize everything that moves before them. 
