Page:British Reptiles, Amphibians, and Fresh-water Fishes.djvu/57

COMMON AND EDIBLE FROGS consume other tadpoles. If these are not procurable, it will take other animal food, and as it pursues its busy life it is all the time evolving into a perfect little Frog, a familiar enough object to all. Its metamorphosis complete, the young Frog leaves its watery home equipped for the great struggle in which on land, as in the water, it is about to play its part. The food of the adult Frog consists of earth worms, insects, slugs, snails, and other creatures. It does a great amount of good, and is a gardener's friend. The present species is some shade of brown on the upper parts, spotted with darker colour, but the males may be known by having yellowish-white below, and the females orange. The colour varies a good deal in even the same locality, but in a different environment, and Hght and dark specimens are frequently found not far apart. The length acquired is about three inches. The male is much the smaller of the two sexes.

The pleasant croaking noise made by the Frog, especially during the spawning season, is quite a rural feature, though I have seen a number of people look up aloft to discover the cause of the unfamiliar chorus. One need only mention in conclusion its remarkable hopping feats, and its great ability as a swimmer.

Edible Frog.—Rana esculenta (Fig. 20). Although this species is stated by a well-known authority to be "common in England " (particularly in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk), it is a fact that I have met many naturalists who have never encountered it during their outdoor 41