: ee” oh HOY 
~ Loads in Stones.....Eikington on Draining. 
hiftory, of a toad exifting for a length of 
time in a confined fituation, without any 
fupply of freth air. The following fags 
are mentioned by Dr. WILLIAMS, of 
Vermont, in America, in a work which 
has never appeared 1 in Evirope, and which 
_ I conceive is fearcely in the hands of any 
perfon 1 this country, and I have little 
doubt but they will be found acceptable 
to many of your readers, as in fome de- 
gree illuftrative of the fame fubject, though 
relative to an animal fomewnat differe ent 
. In its habits. 
‘¢ At Windfor, a town joined to Connec- 
ticut river,” fays Dr. Wit,c1AMs, in Sep- 
tember, 1790, a living frog was dug up at 
» the depth of nine feet from the furface of 
the earth. STEPHEN < Jacons, Efq. from 
“whom I havethis account, informs me, that 
the place where this frog was found was 
about half a mile from the river, on the in- 
terval lands, which are annually overflowed 
. by igs waters. 
*¢ At Caftleton, in the year 1779, the inha- 
bitants were engaged in building a fort, near 
the centre of the town. Tiectae into the 
earth five or fix feet below the furface, they 
found many frogs, apparently ina¢tive, and 
fuppofed to be dead. Being expofed to the 
air, animation foon appeared, and they were 
found to be alive and healthy. I have this 
account from General CLrarRKE, and a Mr. 
Mounron, who were prefent when thefe 
frogs were dug up. Upon viewing the fpot, 
it did not'appear to. me, that it hasever been 
overflowed with water; but it abounded with 
fprings.—-A more remarkable inftance was at 
Burlingt on, upon Onion river—In the: year 
"1788, pha Lane, Efq. was digging a 
well near his houfe: at the depth of twenty- 
five or thirty feet from the furface of the 
earth, the labourers threw out with their fho- 
vels, fomething which they fufpected to be 
ground nuts, or ftones, covered with earth. 
. Upon examing thefe appearances, they were 
found to be frogs; to which the earth every 
where adhe: the examination wa3. then 
made of the earth in the well, where they 
Were digging. A large number of frogs were 
found covered with the earth, and fo nume- 
rous, that feveral of them were cut in pieces 
by the fpades of the workmen. Being ex- 
pofed to the air, they foon became active ; 
but unable to endure the dire&t rays of the fun, 
the mo“ of them perifhed. This account is 
from Mr, Lane and Mr. Lawrence, one of the 
workmen, who'were both prefent when the 
frogs were dugup. From the depth of earth 
with which thefe frogs were covered, it can- 
not be doubted, but that they mu have been 
covered over in the earth for many ages, or 
rather centuries: the appearances denote that 
the place from whence thefe frogs were taken 
"as once the bottom of a channel, or lake, 
formed ky the waters of Onionriver, In dig- 
ae 
259 
ging \the fame well, at the depth of forty-one 
feet and a half fram the furface, the workmen 
found the body of atree, eighteen or twenty 
inches in diameter; partly rotten, but ‘the 
biggeft part found. 
both the tree andthe frogs were ‘once at the 
bottom.of the chanyel of a river, or lake; 
that the waters of Onion ‘river, ‘conitantly 
bringing down large quantities of earth; gra=’ 
dually raifed the bottoms ; 3 that by the con~ 
ftant increafe of arth and water, -the water. ~' 
rer its bounds, and.formed for. 
itfelf anew chainel or paflage, in its defcent, 
How vigorous and per- . . 
manent muft the primciple of life be in this, 
Frogs placed in a fituation in which § 
was torced o 
into lake Champlain. 
animal ! 
they were perpetually fupplied with moifture 
and all wafte and peripiration from’ the body 
prevented, preferve the powers of life from’ 
age to age ! 
they began to live, in fuch a. fituation; and 
had thatfituation continued, nothing appears, 
but that. they would have lived for many cer~ 
turies yet to come |” 
The fame author has Gries curious faite. 
relative to the migration of fwallows, 
martins, &c. which I fhould conceive well. 
entitled to notice in your Magazine, as 
the work never has been, and Tapprehend 
never will be publifhed in England. 
Your’s, &c. 
April 9, 1798. PHILOPHUSIKOs. 

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
AVING = feen your very deer 
Magazine for laft month, a com- 
munication figned R. H. ce fo) re- 
fpecting Mr. Elkingt on’s mode of draining 
land ; ; has induced ime to offer a few ob- 
fervations on that fubject. . 
Extracts from every new and ufeful 
treatife, efpecially thoie relating to the 
improvement of agricuiture, might tend 
very much to benefit the community, if 
ST ee through the channel of periodical 
publications. 
Your correfpondent, R. H. has_ only 
taken notice of the utility of Mr. Elking- 
ton’s method of draiming marfhes by the 
dete&ion of {prings, as he is pleafed to 
callit ; but, althoughhe fays, that he has 
had opportunities of fecing the effects of 
his (Mr. Elkington’s) praétice, he has 
not gratified the reader with an explanation 
of the principles on which his fyftem is 
founded, neither has he given any hints, 
whereby a jpractical farmer might be 
enabled to adopt his method, or at leatt 
be induced to make the experiment. 
On this fubjeét, however, I have lately 
had an opportunity of perufing a very 
P ufetul 
The probability is, that 
Centuries muft have paffed fince . 
