this act they are either hidden among the grass or rushes, or they are in the water, with their heads above the surface *.

When alarmed they leap to a most surprising distance at each exertion. A full-grown Bull Frog will sometimes leap three yards. The following story respecting one of them is well authenticated. The American Indians are known to be excellent runners, being almost able to equal the best horse in its swiftest course. In order, therefore, to try how well the Bull Frogs could leap, some Swedes laid a wager with a young Indian, that he could not overtake one of them, provided it had two leaps beforehand. They carried a Bull Frog which they had caught in a pond, into a field, and burnt its tail. The fire, and the Indian who endeavoured to get up to the frog, had together such an effect upon the animal, that it made its long leaps across the field as fast as it could. The Indian pursued it with all his might. The noise he made in running frightened the poor frog; probably it was afraid of being tortured with fire again, and therefore it redoubled its leaps, and by that means reached the pond, which was fixed on as their goal, before the Indian could overtake it †.

The women are no friends to these frogs, because they kill and eat young ducks and goslings; and sometimes they carry off chickens that venture too near the ponds.-During winter they remain in a torpid state under the mud and in spring they commence their bellowings.

They are edible, and have frequently as much meat on them as a young fowl.-A few years ago fome of them were brought alive into this country.

THE TREE FROG*.

The Tree Frog is a native of America, of France, Germany, Italy, and many other European regions, but is not found in Britain.—It is small, and of a slender and very elegant shape. Its upper parts are green, and the abdomen is whitish, marked by numerous granules. The under surfaces of the limbs are reddish ; and on each side of the body is a longitudinal blackish or violet-coloured streak. The body is smooth above, and the hind-legs are very long and slender. At the end of each toe is a round, fleshy, concave apparatus, not unlike the mouth of a leech, by means of which the animal is enabled to adhere even to the most polished surfaces t.

During the summer months it resides principally on the upper branches of the trees, where it wanders among the foliage in quest of insects. These it catches with great dexterity, stealing softly towards them as a cat does towards a mouse, till at a proper distance, when it makes a sudden spring upon them, of frequently more than a foot in height.-It often suspends itself by its feet, or abdomen, to the under

* SYNONYMS.-Rana arborea. Linn.-Rana bilineata. Shaw. -Green Tree Frog. Catesby.Shaw's Gen. Zool. vol. 3. tab. 38. † Catesby, ii. 71. Shaw's Gen. Zool. iii. 130.

parts of leaves, remaining thus concealed among the foliage.

The skin of the abdomen is covered with small glandular granules of such a nature as to allow the animal to adhere as well by these as by the toes. It will even stick to a glass by pressing its belly against it.

Although during summer it inhabits the woods, yet about the end of autumn it retires to the waters, and lies concealed in a torpid state, in the mud or under the banks, till the spring; when, on the return of warm weather, it emerges, like the rest of the genus, to deposit its spawn in the water. At this period the male inflates its throat in a surprising manner, forming a large sphere beneath its head. It also exerts a very loud and sharp croak, that is heard to a vast distance. The tadpoles become perfected about the beginning of August, and they soon afterwards begin to ascend the adjacent trees.

During their residence in the trees, these frogs are particularly noisy in the evenings on the approach of rain. They are indeed so excellent as barometers, that, if kept in glasses in a room, and supplied with proper food, they afford sure presage of changes of the weather*.

In order to make some observations on the refpiration of the Reptile tribe, Dr. Townson had among others some Tree Frogs. He kept them in a window, and appropriated to their use a bowl of water, in

* Shaw's Gen. Zool. iii. 130.

which they lived. They soon grew quite tame; and to two that he had for a considerable length of time, and were particular favourites, he gave the names of Damon and Musidora. In the hot weather whenever they descended to the floor they soon became lank and emaciated. In the evening they seldom failed to go into the water, unless the weather was cold and damp; in which case they would sometimes remain out a couple of days. When they were out of the water, if a few drops were thrown upon the board, they always applied their bodies as close to it as they could; and from this absorption through the skin, though they were flaccid before, they soon again appeared plump. A Tree Frog that had not been in the water during the night was weighed, and then immersed after it had remained about half an hour in the bowl, it came out, and was found to have absorbed nearly half its own weight of water. From other experiments on the Tree Frogs it was discovered that they frequently absorbed nearly their whole weight of water, and that, as was clearly proved, and is very remarkable, by the under surface only of the body. They will even absorb moisture from wetted blotting-paper. Sometimes they eject water with a considerable force from their bodies, to the quantity of a fourth part or more of their own weight*.

Both Frogs and Toads will frequently suffer their natural food to remain before them untouched, yet on the smallest motion it makes they instantly seize it. A knowledge of this circumstance enabled Dr. Town

* Townson's Tracts, 51.

son to feed his favourite Tree Frog, Musidora, through the winter. Before the flies, which were her usual food, had disappeared in autumn, he collected for her a great quantity as winter provision. When he laid any of them before her, she took no notice of them, but the moment he moved them with his breath she sprung upon and ate them. Once, when flies were scarce, the Doctor cut some flesh of a tortoise into small pieces, and moved them by the same means. She seized them, but the instant afterwards re jected them from her tongue. After he had obtained her confidence, she ate, from his fingers, dead as well as living flies. Frogs will leap at a moving shadow of any small object; and both Frogs and Toads will soon become sufficiently familiar to sit on the hand, and be carried from one side of a room to the other, to catch flies as they settle on the wall.-At Gottingen Dr. Townson made them his guards for keeping these troublesome creatures from his dessert of fruit, and they acquitted themselves fully to his satisfaction. -He has even seen the small Tree Frogs eat humblebees, but this was never done without some contest: they are in general obliged to reject them, being incommoded by their stings and hairy roughness; but in each attempt the bee is further covered with the viscid matter from the frog's tongue, and when pretty well coated with this it is easily swallowed *.

A Tree Frog was kept by a surgeon in Germany for near eight years. He had it in a glass vessel covered with a net, and during the summer he fed it

*Townson's Tracts, 113, 114.