i ore See wakes wi gintereleje! sineefeinty aes ete oe ele ee ae sash is ety wincetninietetetsi ota reiesSate fen ete NO SUBSCRIPTION RECEIVED FOR LESS THAN THE COMPLETE WORK—68 PARTS. { | We) aN i i) al Vid N) all Me ani fecal i i \ I | | \ i ii : = “ \\ \ Wh yy al i i itis fa BAA ANN | S i (lon Moh eT SS imate MO a Rah Ae cli i Hl “eh is i mA ante m PART 42 SOLD ONLY BY SUBSCRIPTION. 25 CENTS. Mamate Creation: POPULAR EDITION OF SONS Lily I NG WORLD.” Pe A Ae ShllS PORY EY i CCQNIEN THe lev. J. -G: Woop. io EN \ JAN 12 1938) , Mes VA Prey, : a 2 git 4 REVISED AND ADAPTED TO fe mL 20M. en PVE Pel CASING AOOLOG Vs l= JORIS sta BE: POPE, M.D., Fellow of the New York Academy of Sciences ; Ore y Society of Naturalists, #. U. 8.; Membe of the American Ornithologists’ Union; Curator of Vertebrate Zoology, Prien Museum of Natural History, Central Park, New York. FULLY ILLUSTRATED WITH SCIENTIFIC ACCURACY. VOL. V. NUE We YORK: SELMAR HESS. ) - ELECTROTIPED BT & Ssore & McDovcak Vie" ~ 0 S200 COPYRIGHT, 48TH OF OCTOBER, 1898 BY SELMAR HESS. eee Oo ae A ) PRESS OF as J. J. Littte & Co. — NEW YORE__ a wy ye "335 eye ae Oy YN), HE Reptilia and Batrachia form the subjects of this volume. The published Reports of the United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries, and the various Bulletins and Papers of the National Museum and Smithsonian Institution, have been of equal importance in affording the most recent facts and views touching American Zoology. For the use of the contents of these works we acknowledge the courtesy of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. The Fishes and Invertebrates are catalogued and described very fully in the above-mentioned publications, all of which are accessible to students or those desiring further technical knowledge, but their contents are too voluminous to be fairly utilized in this volume. debra. COIN TE BIN TS. PAGE CLASS REPTILES. 3 Section SHIELDED REP TILES.—Order CHELARIANS; or TORTOISES: 5 True Tortoises— Testudinidae.......... Hodoomeddde 6 Terrapins—Emydidae .... ....00.00+ ocdsdionaiodiadn 9 Aquatic Tortoises—Chelididae.........++++++ eieiierers 17 Soft Murtles— Prionyetdaes.'..210 cie.ctoeeicre's oje.cie}ais's e010 19 Sea Turtles—Cheloniadae.............ecce ee eeenee 21 Order EMYDOSAURI; or TORTOISE-LIZARDS: 28 Crocodiles—Crocodilidae ............ se ceeececevees 29 PAULI orator s——ALGGtOTTAGe srarzi 278 Salmon — Salmonid@ ............005 Ao. Goeso55008 279 Stargazer—Cyprinidontid@ ..... ......- canounos Vso) Carp, Barbel, Bream, etc.—Cyprinid@.......... 284 Silurvus—SlUvia@ waclsjceaieencceascee tecees nicleisielele's 287 PLECTOGNATHI; or Fishes with coalescent jaws: Trunk-Fishes—Sclerodermi............ 287 Naked-Toothed Fishes—Gymnodontes ......+++: 289 Order LOPHOBRANCHIATA; oR CREST-GILLED FISHES : Sea-Dragon and Pegasus—Pegasida@. Sea-Horse, Great Pipe-Fish and Phyllopteryx —SYNGNATRIAE ...-cceeceee aemcctets mvejeya\staicle siete 290 Order GANOLEPIDOTI: Bony Pike..........0.c0cees 292 Order CYCLOSTOMI: Lamprey, Lampern, Myxine— PIiWOrF ILLUSTRATIONS: ILLUSTRATIONS PRINTED IN COLORS. PAGE PAGE PAGE Soft Turtles ..ssccscecessseeceeeee- 20 | African Cobra, or Haje, and Ga- Bull-Wrog ..... 6 | Hinulia and Mocop....0sosecsee-<- wi COLUBRIN.E. MhepPy xine OMe. cce- cos dokecss Qh Se Bs Or! Clol gna: Je mrecsaenecs=-nn- C8) i Schaap Sticker! -s2/0.0-- eee. ce es 126 eee oe Chistes ||| pAcuvaLoss xt anDyeTaoniLo: |/ueed Sasig ov) Graas Saale 21m Quaker Tortoise............0..2.+06 11 SAURA. wo | Chicken Snake......... Box Tortoise ..... fete e cree eeeeeees HU Ba eee pono eae asso on occ eal Coluber aeeeeee eee eee eee Mud Tortoise 15 Hatteria ajatalefeletereterere(eteistalsieleterelsrele’nvevarets is Coase witio: crake eee enews 135 Mata materiel cecectseisccs steels 17 | Marine Oreocephale..........+.++++ Gehl eyaap RTE oso eceatoaMe tte cps sao New Holland Chelodine, or Snake Green Caroline Anolis aconopEcdodods 81 nea ees, fGen. PAR PROT LOISO eee ccisieels clon cicicicileseeiociee 18 | Crowned Tapayaxin..............+. 83 = < 5 A . | Banded Bungarus OG ECHIG, Goo npoadosnddboosconsodede OTe eH rill SGM LZ ar Cl sere eicielere cis/o(a;eieleelorelsiavele 85 Siyqeauvanehinry BENGE ac 142 Luth, or Leathery Turtle Q2n NES pINOSO FA PAM As aislsictsieis'sicisiereieloiei 87 a CROCODILES. Egyptian Mastigure........ee.seeee x FROGS AND TOADS. IMI Soopnoorocaou oooodabansoadan 89 a - Halse) Gravidlcsciqactetcs-jelesiaeciclcsie.ce's 30 Surinam Toad.........-.+0+2+-s00: 150 i i , + cx Development of the Egg and of the nes apa of SNAKES, ; Tadpole of the Green Frog..... 156 fiereined eenasails 5 Hane mae sow icivins shejsislejcislelesicie ee te Savannah Cricket Frog............ 164 tre rT eee pte Nene Oe £7 Green\Tree-Hroge. nance deocecsciies 165 Copper-Head Snake...............- 99 Rhinophryne : eee ee Bs maa ALLIGATORS. Rattlesnake). once. .celsteis(ssisejecsie ies 100 ; PAMUL TIF LUOTeatttsrsiaisleleiols sieietcicic'sicieiciermicia'e(e's 36 | Diamond and Northern Rattlesnake 103 Jacare, or Yacare 37 CRAWLING BATRACHIANS. is VIPERS, Salamiand ereniser-reletreilersiera sielatstefetarsis a AMFRISB-ENID.E. Tic Polonga, or Katuka............ 105m | TearvarofAxolotl em tem seceeiestctcicls 176 Sooty Amphisbeena................ Stell) edit Ke Oc Sao necnGancooadooonnanS LOGE MARK OLObI aera ctereteislersioisieteieteisteiovsleieieisistene aleye¢ Cheirotes, or Hand-Eared Lizard.. 39 | Cerastes, or Horned Viper.......... 108 | Gigantic Salamander.............. 178 oratta yam ye serene -etelels cietelaleierelsiele 109"> | Mien OpomMe rite cceiccleisisiets cleiers el-sererecels 179 LIZARDS. Sand=Nattermarelesieemaieineesireces 110 —— White-Throated Regenia ......... 41 ” Nilotic Monitor.........s:s0000+00 2 | RIVER AND SEA SERPENTS. sano tae a) OR. Teguexin, or Variegated Lizard.... 43 | Black-Backed Pelamis ............ 116 a oe ERAS AH eanicouseh: = Crust Lizard) 5.066... esa meratereraieraia AAA CrOCHOGOLE! vajejqjelsiey-i-ielslalel-tevoleieleselele 117 itr ded Be ok Oo oa pe PICAliy sal ZATlesieie\creisjsloiaieisisis\sistals.cieicisi« s AGy |e Carpet SOAKE)s «isrstsistois/oes cleinisleiclaisletole 118 FISHES. LORE IVAN longobosscqopdcboedesbouG 47 - en yes : e 5 7 - 7 -_ 7 > : . + THE LETTERED TORTOISE. 9 carapace the plates are marked with a number of radiating triangular spots, and on the plates which edge the shell there are lines of black. Below, the yellow generally takes a more orange tint, and is diversified with black marks round its edge. THE PYXIS.—fyvis arachnoides. WE now come to a group of Tortoises called TERRAPINS. These creatures are inhabitants of the water, and are mostly found in rivers. They are carnivorous in their diet, and take their food while in the water. They may be known by their flattened heads, covered with skin, sometimes hard, but often of a soft consistency, and their broad feet with the toes webbed as far as the claws. Tuer LETTERED TortTotrsE is, together with its companion, an American species of the large genus Emys, examples of which are found in various portions of the world, and of which nearly fifty species are known to zoologists. All these creatures have their heads covered with a thin but hard skin. The Lettered Terrapin is very common in Northern America, and is found in the rivers, ponds, lakes, or even the marshy grounds, where it can obtain an abundant supply of food. It is fond of reptiles. and causes great destruction among the frogs in their earlier stages of existence. It also has a great liking for worms, and, like the green crab of our own coasts, is very apt to take the fisherman’s bait, and exasperates him greatly by making him pull up nothing but a little Tortoise when he thought he had caught a fine fish. Regular anglers, therefore, bear an intense hatred to this Tortoise. It is easily kept in captivity, and will then feed on many substances, preferring those of an animal nature, and being very fond of various reptiles. It will also eat vegetable substances, and one of these Tortoises was fond of purslain (Portulacea oleracec). In color it is very pretty, though rather variable. Generally, it is dark brown above, and the edges are boldly scribbled with broad scarlet marks, something like the letters of some strange language. Below it is yellow, and the head is yellow and black Vou. T.—2, 10 THE QUAKER TORTOISE. THE CHICKEN TorTOISE is also found in North America. It is very common in the ponds, lakes, or marshy grounds, and though very plentiful, and by no means quick in its movements, is not easily caught, owing to its extreme wariness. Hundreds of these Tortoises may be seen reposing on logs, stones, or the branches of fallen trees, where they are apparently an easy prey. But they are very sensitive to the approach of an enemy, and the first that perceives the coming danger tumbles off its perch and falls into the water with a great splash that arouses the fears of all its companions, which go tumbling and splashing into the water in all directions, and in a few seconds not a Tortoise is to be seen where they were so plentiful before they took alarm. The Chicken Tortoise swims well, but not rapidly, and as it passes along with its head and neck elevated above the surface, it looks so like the dark water-snake of the same country, that at a little distance it might readily be mistaken for that reptile. LETTERED TORTOISE.—Zmys scripta. | CHICKEN TORTOISE.—Hmys reticularia. It is rather a small species, seldom exceeding ten inches in length. Its flesh is remark- ably excellent, very tender and delicately flavored, something like that of a young chicken, so that this Tortoise is in great request as an article of food, and is largely sold in the markets, though not so plentifully as the common salt-water terrapin. Its color is dark brown above, and the plates are scribbled with yellow lines, and wrinkled longitudinally. The neck is long in proportion to the size of the animal, so long, indeed, that the head and neck together are almost as long as the shell. The lower jaw is hooked in front. AN allied species, popularly called the QuAKER TorToIsx, and scientifically Hmys oliv- acea, is remarkable for the extreme length of the claws of the fore feet, the three middle claws being elongated in a manner that irresistibly reminds the observer of the nails belonging to a Chinese mandarin of very high rank. THE SALT-WATER TERRAPIN. ala THE SALT-WATER TERRAPIN is a well-known species, living in North and South America, where it is in great request for the table. The generic name of Malaclemys, or Soft Terrapin, has been given to this species on account of the formation of the head, which is covered with soft, spongy skin. The head is large in proportion to the size of the animal, and flattened above. This Terrapin lives in the salt-water marshes, where it is very plentiful, and from which it never travels to any great distance. During the warm months of the year it is lively, and constantly searching after prey, but when the cold weather comes on, it burrows a hole in the muddy banks of its native marsh, and there lies buried until the warm sunbeams of spring break its slumbers, and induce it once more to seek the upper earth and resume its former active existence. QUAKER TORTOISE.—Lmys olivacea. It is more active in its movements than is the case with the Tortoises in general, and can not only swim rapidly, but walk with tolerable speed. It is very shy, and discovers approach- ing peril with a keenness of perception that could scarcely be expected from one of these shielded reptiles, whose dullness and torpidity have long been proverbial. Mr. Holbrook, in his valuable ‘“‘ North American Herpetology,”’ writes as follows concern- ing this Terrapin :— “‘They are very abundant in the salt marshes around Charleston, and are easily taken when the female is about to deposit her eggs in the spring and early summer months. They are then brought in immense numbers to market ; yet, notwithstanding this great destruction, they are so prolific that their number appears undiminished. Their flesh is excellent at all times, but in the northern cities it is most esteemed when the animal has been dug out of the mud in its state of hibernation. The males are smaller than the females, and have the con- centric strie more deeply impressed.” ; The color of this Salt-water Terrapin is rather variable, but is usually dark greenish-brown on the upper surface, and yellow on the plates which surround the edge of the shell. Below it is yellow, and in many specimens it is marked with variously shaped spots of dark gray. The lower jaw is furnished with a hook, and the sides of the head are dusty white sprinkled with many small black spots. 12 THE BOX TORTOISE. Very many species of Tortoise are extremely variable in their color, but there are few which are so remarkable in this respect as the creature which is appropriately named the Box TorrotsE (Cistudo carolina). This species belongs to America, and is found spread over the whole of the Northern States. It is very plentiful in the localities which it favors, and although so small a creature, is able by means of its wonderful organization to protect itself against almost every foe. Many of the Tortoises can withdraw their limbs and head into their shell, leaving open, however, the aper- tures through which this movement is achieved, so that the animal might be killed or hooked out by a persevering foe, such as the jaguar, which is known to attack turtles, insinuate its lithe paw within the shell, and scoop out the inhabitant with its sharp curved claws. But in those instances where the animal has the power of closing the openings through which the legs, tail, and head protrude, there is hardly any mode of getting at the flesh with- BOX TORTOISH.— Cistudo carolina. out breaking the shell, a feat beyond the power of any animal, except perhaps an elephant, to perform. Certain birds, it is said, are clever enough to soar to a great height with the Tor toise, and break the shell by letting it fall upon a convenient rock, but this story does not seem to be very strongly attested. Several species possess this valuable capability, but none to so perfect a degree as the Box Tortoise, which, according to the Rev. Sydney Smith’s felicitous summary, need fear no enemy except man and the boa constrictor, the former taking him home and roasting him, and the latter swallowing him entire and consuming him slowly in its interior, as the Court of Chancery does a large estate. With regard to this curious propensity, it is evident that there is some analogy between these Tortoises and certain mammalia, which are also able to withdraw themselves within the protection of certain armor with which they are furnished. In the case of the hedgehog, the animal assumes more of an offensive than a defensive character, and relies, not on an impene- trable covering, for the skin is soft, and a pointed weapon can find an easy entrance between the spines, but on the bristly array of bayonet-like spikes that protrude their threatening points in every direction, and bid a tacit defiance to the foe. THE GOPHER. 138 The scale-covered manis, again, although guarded with successive layers of broad, horny plates, is, in point of fact, less protected when rolled up than when walking quietly along ; for when at rest, the scales overlap each other like the tiles of a house, so that any weapon would glance aside, but when curled up the scales are erected and leave a passage for the arrow or the spear between them. The real defence of the hedgehog lies in the points of its quills and of the manis in the razor-like edges of its scales, but the defence of the Tortoise is wholly inaggressive, and is more allied to that of the armadillo or perhaps the singular pichiciago (Chlamydophorus truncatus), a most remarkable little creature with a curious shelly covering spread over nearly the whole upper surface and down the hind-quarters. A description of this animal may be found in the volume on the Mammalia, page 631. There are again many of the lower animals which have a similar mode of defence, a very familiar example being the well-known pill- woodlouse so common in our gardens, which’ rolls itself into a round ball when alarmed, and permits itself to be handled and even rolled along the ground without displaying any signs of life. The Box Tortoise is a terrestrial species, and always keeps to the dry forest-lands, detest- ing the vicinity of water. It is commonly found in the pine forests, because they are always on thoroughly dry soil, and on account of its fondness for such localities is sometimes known by the popular name of the Pine Terrapin. The negroes call it by the name of Cooter. In the wild state it mostly feeds on insects, and is peculiarly fond of the cricket tribe, but in captivity it will eat almost any food that is offered, taking insects, meat, apples, or even bread. It is a very little creature, being when adult a very little more than six inches in length. In color it is extremely variable, but is generally yellowish-brown, striped with a brighter hue, and sometimes mottled with black. Of a number of specimens no two were exactly alike, some being yellow, spotted with black, while others exactly reversed these tints, and were black, spotted with yellow. Others again were yellow with black rays, and others olive with yellow rays and streaks. The carapace has a very slight keel along its upper edge. The upper jaw of this species is furnished with a rather broad hook, and the lower jaw is also hooked, but not so boldly. This is an interesting species from having its shell so adapted by a hinged cover in front that it shuts itself tightly within. What complete protection is here afforded from any ordi- nary foe! Tortoises are mostly notable for longevity, and this species seems to be especially favored. We remember to have captured one of them while in a woodland of Worcester County, in Massachusetts, and found the initials of a relative cut on its back. They were recognized as having been cut there thirty or more years previously. This species, from being an inhabitant of dry woods, is more likely than those of ponds and wet places to be found and captured ; hence the more frequent selection of this Turtle for such carving purposes. Other species, found in various parts of the world, seem to have the same curious box- like shell. The Box Turtle inhabits the United States from Maine and New York to Missouri and southward. A variety called the Three-toed Box Turtle (C. ¢riwnqguis), found in Pennsylvania and southward, is paler in color, and has the hind-feet mostly three-toed. It is called Pine Barren Terrapin, or Cooter, in the South. THe Goruer (Zestudo carolina). This is the common Land Tortoise of the Southern States. It is not known farther north than North Carolina, where among the pine barrens it abounds in great numbers, living entirely on vegetables. The flesh is esteemed a great delicacy. The length of the species is about fourteen inches. About twenty species of Land Tortoises are known to science, inhabiting both hemi- spheres. They are all herbivorous, confined to the land, and inhabit the warmer portions of their respective localities. Their special characteristic is the habit of burrowing. The Pond Turtles, family Hinyidwe, are represented over the whole world, widely dis- tributed, by about eighty species. 14 THH YHELLOW-BELLIED TERRAPIN. THE Woop Torrotset (Chelopus insculpta) inhabits the States east of the Ohio, in fields and woods. Its shell is keeled, its plates marked with concentric strie, and radiating lines. A black spot on each scale gives characteristic marking. Muntensere’s Tortoise (C. muhlenbergii) is the most circumscribed in its habitat, being found only in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. It is rare in those places. Its length is about three and a half inches. It inhabits small brooks and streams of running water. THE SPECKLED TorTOIsE (Chelopus guttatus) is found in Eastern United States, and as far west as Northern Indiana, where it is abundant. Its main color is black with orange spots. The plastron is yellow, blotched with black. This Tortoise is a favorite pet with the smail boy of New England. BLANDING’S ToRTOISE (Hmys meleagris) inhabits the moist woods and fields in Wisconsin, and eastward to the Alleghanies. Its coloration and markings are somewhat like those of the latter. The shell has no keel. THE PatnreD TorRTOISE (Chrysemys picta) is familiarly known in some quarters as the Mud Turtle. It is one of the most common in the Eastern States. It is greenish-black, the plates having a paler margin. The marginal plates are marked with bright red, looking much as if it were freshly painted. The plastron is yellow, blotched with brown. Its length of shell is about six inches. Two varieties are found respectively in Wisconsin and in Western New York. THe Map Turtie (Malacoclemmys geographicus) is singular in its markings, suggesting the lines on a map, hence the name. Its locality is the Mississippi River, and northward to New York. LesvEur’s Map TurtLe (J. lesveri) is yet another species, found in Wisconsin and Ohio, and from thence southwest. It is much like the preceding, but grayer; the markings are paler and in larger pattern. THE Satt Marsu Turtie (ML palustris), called also Diamond-back, is of a greenish or dark olive color, with concentric dark stripes along the plates of both shells. It inhabits along the coast from New York to Texas. It is found along the northern shores of Long Island, where it is called Salt Water Terrapin, and is the justly prized and notable luxury of epicures. It frequents low brackish or salt streams near the sea-shore, hibernating in the mud, during the season, from whence it is taken in great numbers for the markets ; it is then very fat. THe SmoorH TERRAPIN (Pseudemys terrapin) is sold in the markets as the same as the preceding. It is said that the two are procured from the same localities. DeKay thinks that the latter inhabits the salt and brackish waters indifferently. RED-BELLIED TERRAPIN (Pseudemys rugosa). This is found in the Middle States, from New Jersey to Virginia. It is a handsome creature—for a reptile—and is easily distinguished by its serrated jaws. As an edible it is somewhat prized. Its length is eleven inches. HrErrociypuic TurTLE (P. hyeroglyphica). Found quite circumscribed in the Eastern States. The shell is smooth, flat, and olive-brown in color, with broad, reticulated, yellowish lines ; the lower is pale yellow ; the head very small; length of shell, twelve inches. YELLOW-BELLIED TERRAPIN (P. troostii). This species is found in the valley of the Mississippi, and northward to Illinois. Its colors are greenish-black, the side-plates having THE MUD TORTOISE. 15 horn-colored lines and spots ; the under shell yellow, with large black blotches ; the throat striped green ; shell eight inches in length. THE ELEGANT TERRAPIN (P. elegans) is a Western species, being confined to the region east of the Rocky Mountains as far as Illinois. The colors are brown with heavy lines and blotches ; a blood-colored band on each side of the neck. The under shell is yellow, with a dusky blotch on each plate. THE RovuGH TERRAPIN (P. scabra) is found along the shore from Virginia to Florida. It is dark brown with yellow stripes ; under shell yellow, with small black blotches in front. Length of shell, eight inches. A number of other species are enumerated as North American, and recorded in the list of North American Reptiles at the close of this volume. THE SMALL Mup TurrLeE (Cinosternwm pennsyloanicum) is found abundantly in New York, and southward to Florida. The family and generic names indicate the fact that it has a movable sternum. The shell is dusky-brown; the head and neck with light stripes and yellow dots. In some localities it is called Small Box Turtle. It abounds in muddy ponds and pools, living on fish. Length of shell, three and a half inches, THE Musk TurTLE (Aromochelys odorata). Abundant in eastern United States, and west- ward to Indiana. Its exceedingly potent musky odor quite distinguishes it. Shell, three and a half inches in length. Tue LirrLe Musk Turtte (A. carinata) is found in the Mississippi region. THE common Mup Torrorsr, so called from its mud-haunting propensities, is an example of rather a curious genus of Tortoises, in- habiting America. It is an odd little creature, being when adult not quite four inches in length, and moving with moderate speed. It is mostly found in ponds and AN muddy pools, where ——»\\ it feeds upon fish, > aquatic insects, and similar diet, catching even the active fish without much diffi- culty. I lately saw some aquatic Tortoises, which I think belonged = ; whi —— 2 = a to this genus, which OL ——— St had to be ejected from a —— ee SSS G = a large basin of a foun- — = = tain because they killed the newts which in- habited the same locality. Their movements in the water were so deliberate that it was not until they were detected in the very act of biting the newts that their delinquencies were dis- covered. Their mode of attack was simply to creep under their victim as it balanced itself MUD TORTOISE.—Cinosternum pennsylvanicum. 16 THE ALLIGATOR TERRAPIN. in the water or swam gently within reach, and then to secure it with a quiet snap of its beak. Like the lettered Terrapin, already mentioned, it has a vexatious habit of taking the angler’s bait, and causes many a fisherman to lose his temper when pulling up a useless little Mud Tortoise instead of the fish on which he had set his heart. It seizes the worm just as it catches the newts, taking it so quietly into its mouth that the float is hardly shaken by the touch. But when the fisherman pulls his line, the Tortoise kicks, pulls and flounces about in so energetic a style that it often deludes the angler into the idea that he has hooked quite a fine fish. This species has a decided smell of musk, a peculiarity which is found in others of the same genus, one of which (Cinosternum odoratum) goes by the appropriate, though not very refined, name of Stink-pot, in consequence of the powerful musky odor which it exudes. The color of the Mud Tortoise is mostly dusky-brown above, and chestnut below, though this coloring is liable to some variation in different individuals. The tail is thick and pointed, and horny at the tip. The head is large, and there are four large warty appendages on the chin. Tue last example of the Terrapin is that singular animal which is appropriately called the ALLIGATOR TERRAPIN (Chelydra serpentina), from the great resemblance which it bears to that reptile. It is also an American species, and lives mostly in the water. When adult it reaches a large size, often exceeding three feet in length, and as it is very fierce of disposition, lithe of neck, and strong of jaw, it is somewhat dreaded by those who have had a practical acquaint- ance with its powers. The jaws of this animal are sharp edged, and remarkably strong, cutting like the blades of steel shears. Mr. Bell remarks that he has seen one of these creatures bite asunder a stick of half an inch in diameter. When caught, therefore, the captors always cut off these dangerous heads at once. Mr. Holbrook gives the following interesting account of the Alligator Terrapin and its habits :— ‘Tt is found in stagnant pools or in streams where the waters are of sluggish motion. Generally they prefer deep water, and live at the bottom of rivers ; at times, however, they approach the surface, above which they elevate the tip of their pointed snout, all other parts being concealed, and in this way they float slowly along with the current, but if disturbed, they descend speedily to the bottom. ‘*They are extremely voracious, feeding on fish, reptiles, or any animal substance that falls in their way. They take the hook readily, whatever may be the bait, though most attracted by pieces of fish; in this way many are caught for market. It is, however, neces- sary to have strong hooks and tackle, otherwise they would be broken, for the animal puts forth great strength in its struggles to escape, both with its firm jaws and by bringing its anterior extremities across the line. When caught, they always give out an odor of musk, more or less distinct ; sometimes in very old animals it is so strong as to be disagreeable. ‘Occasionally he leaves the water, and is seen on the banks of rivers or in meadows, even at a distance from his accustomed element. On land, his motions are awkward ; he walks slowly, with his head, neck, and long tail extended, elevating himself on his legs like the alligator, which at that time he greatly resembles in his motions. Like the alligator also, after having walked a short distance, he falls on his sternum to rest for a few moments, and then proceeds on his journey. ‘‘In captivity they prefer dark places, and are exceedingly ferocious ; they will seize upon and bite severely anything that is offered them, and their grasp upon the object with their strong jaws is so tenacious, that they may even be raised from the ground without loosing their hold. ‘In many cities they are brought in numbers to market, and are esteemed excellent food, though I think that they are far inferior to the green turtle, the soft-shelled, or even several of the emydes. They are kept for months in tubs of fresh water, and feed on such offal as may be given them, though they never become fat or increase much in weight.” THE MATAMATA. LES Though a very valuable and curious reptile, the Alligator Terrapin is far from beautiful, with its little dusky shell, its long, knob-covered tail, its singular legs and feet, and its great, sharply-toothed jaws. On aecount of its habit of snapping fiercely at its opponents, it is often called by the name of Snapping Turtle, a title, however, which rightly belongs to a species which will shortly be described. Its head is large, and covered with a hard, wrinkled skin; the neck is long, thick, and furnished with a number of projecting tubercles. Under the chin are two distinct barbels. When adult, the shell is so formed that a depression runs along the centre, leaving a kind of keel at each side of the central line ; but when young, the shell forms three distinct keels. It is rather flat, oblong, and at the hinder portion is deeply cleft, so as to form a row of blunt teeth, but while young the teeth are sharp. The tail is stout, long, and is furnished witha series of large, blunt tubercles along its central line. THE SNAPPING TURTLE is the familiar name of this species in the countryside of New England. It is rather common in all parts of North America, and is found southward as far as Ecuador. Dr. Pickering, of Eastern Massachusetts, records the length of one as ‘‘ over four feet ;”? the shell being only about half that in length. This exposure of so large a proportion of its fleshy parts is scarcely paralleled in any other. species. Its stout and long tail, and its long neck quite warrant the use of a Southern designation it has—Alligator Tortoise. The savage, snapping habit gives it the common Northern name. The term Alligator Terrapin seems very appropriate, as the Terrapins all have the corrugated backs. In some quarters the flesh is esteemed. MATAMATA.— Chelys matamata. WE now arrive at another family of Tortoises, termed Chelydes, an example of which is the remarkable MaTamata, the acknowledge type of its family. All the Chelydes have broad, flattened heads, long, broad, contractile necks, and when in repose have a curious custom of bending their necks under the side of the carapace. Their feet are webbed, in order to enable them to pass rapidly through the water, and there is always Vou. Il.—3. 18 THE MATAMATA. a lobe between the claws. They are aquatic Tortoises, carnivorous, and voracious, and only feed while in the water. When swimming, the whole of the shell is kept below the surface. The Matamata is certainly the most remarkable of aspect among all the Tortoises, and perhaps may lay claim to be considered one of the oddest-looking animals in the world, far exceeding in its grotesque ungainliness even the wild and weird creations of the middle-age painters. This Tortoise inhabits Southern America, and is most plentiful in Cayenne. Formerly it was very common, but on account of the excellence of its flesh, it has been subject to such persecution that its numbers have been considerably diminished. It haunts the lakes and rivers, where it swims well and with some speed. As is the case with most aquatic Tortoises, it is carnivorous, and feeds on fish, reptiles, and other creatures, which it captures by a sudden snap of its sharp beak. In general, it appears not to care for chasing the intended prey, but conceals itself among the reeds and herbage of the river-side, and from its hiding-place thrusts NEW HOLLAND CHELODINE, OR SNAKE TORTOISE.—Hydromedusa maximiliani. out its neck suddenly upon its victims as they pass unsuspectingly within reach of their destroyer. On occasion, however, it will issue from its concealment, dart rapidly through the water and seize a fish, reptile, or even a water-fowl, and then retire with its prey to its former hiding-place. It is a large and formidable creature, attaining, when adult, to a length of three feet. The head of the Matamata is most singular in shape, and remarkable for the strange appendages which are placed upon it. The head itself is much flattened, and rather broad, and the snout is prolonged in a most extraordinary manner, so as to form an elongated and flexible double tube. On the top of the head are two membranous prolongations of the skin, standing boldly from the head, and having much the appearance of ears. From the chin hang two curiously- fringed membranes, and the throat is decorated with four similar membranes, but of larger size and more deeply fringed. The neck is long, and bears upon its upper surface two rows of small, membranous tufts, deeply fringed, and greatly resembling, in every point but that of size, the tufts on the chin and throat. The limbs are powerful, and the tail is short. THE FIERCE TRIONYX, OR SNAPPING TURTLE. 19 _ The shell of the Matamata is rather convex, broader before than behind, and rather flat- tened in the middle of the back. The shields are elevated, rather sharp at their tips, and are arranged so as to form three regular keels along the back. A NEARLY allied species of river Tortoise is figured on page 18. It is the New Hontnanp CHELODINE, sometimes called the YELLOW CHELODINE, from the olive-yellow color of the plastron. This remarkable reptile may almost deserve the name of the Snake Tortoise, its long, flexible neck, and flat, narrow, and pointed head, having a very serpentine aspect. As its name imports, it is an inhabitant of Australia, and is found most commonly in New Holland. It is a water-loving creature, not caring much for rivers and running streams, but haunting the pools, marshes, and stagnant waters, where it lives in the midst of abundance, finding ample food among the fishes and aquatic reptiles which generally swarm in such localities. It is an active animal, traversing the water with considerable speed, and capturing its prey by means of its sharp jaws. The gape is very large, and the jaws are comparatively slender. The shell is broad, rather flattened, and the shields are thin and smooth, not being elevated as in the preceding species. The general color of the shell is brown above and yellow below, each shield having a black line round its edge. WE now arrive at another family of the Tortoises, known popularly as Soft Turtles—a rather inaccurate title, inasmuch as they are not turtles, but Tortoises—and scientifically as Trionycide. The latter title is of Greek origin, signifying three-clawed, in allusion to the fact that, although the species belonging to the family have five toes on each foot, only the three inner toes of each foot are armed with claws. These Tortoises, represented in the accompanying oleograph, are rather interesting to the careful observer, because the peculiar structure of the external covering permits the formation of the skeleton to be seen without the necessity for separating the shells. In particular, the method in which the breast-bone is developed into the broad, flattened plate which forms the plastron, can clearly be seen through the skin, and even the position of the sutures can be made out without much difficulty. The head of these creatures is rather oval and flattened, the jaws are horny, but covered with hanging, fleshy lips, and the mouth is lengthened into a cylindrical trunk. The neck is long, and can be contracted, the feet are short, very wide, and the toes are connected together by strong webs. They all live in warm climates, and are found in rivers and lakes. The typical species is the celebrated Fierce Trronyx, or SNAPPING TURTLE, a reptile which derives its former title from the exceeding ferocity of its disposition, and the latter from the method in which it secures its prey or attacks its foes. It is found spread over many parts of North America. This tierce and determined marauder of the waters is even more formidable than the two previous species, and not only causes terror among the smaller creatures which inhabit the same localities, but is even dreaded by man, whose limbs have often been severely wounded by the bite of these ferocious reptiles. Like the aquatic Tortoises, it is carnivorous in its habits, and is terribly destructive among the fish, smaller quadrupeds, birds, and reptiles. Lurking on the banks, it snatches away many an unfortunate animal as it comes to drink, or seizes the water-fowl that have ventured too close to their terrible neighbor. So fiercely carnivorous is this Tortoise, and so voracious is its appetite, that it will even catch young alligators, and devour them in spite of their teeth and struggles. The flesh of this species is very delicate, tender, and richly flavored, so that it often meets the doom which it has inflicted on so many other animals. As it is so voracious, it will take almost any kind of bait, provided that it be composed of animal substance, but it prefers fish, and cannot resist a hook so baited. Its captor’s work, however, is not confined to hooking and drawing it ashore, as the Snap- ping Turtle, when it finds itself with a hook firmly fixed in its jaws, and itself being irresistibly 20 THE DOGANTA. dragged from the water, seems possessed with tenfold ferocity, writhing its long, flexible neck, darting its head furiously at its foes with the rapidity of a serpent’s stroke, and snapping sharply with its formidable jaws, one bite of which would shred away the fingers from the hand, or the toes from the feet, as easily as the gardener’s scissors sever the twigs and leaves. Such a misfortune has indeed been known to occur. Mr. Bell records an instance where a Snapping Turtle, that was being conveyed to England, contrived to reach the hand of one of the sailors in its fierce struggles, and bit off one of his fingers. The eggs of the Snapping Turtle are very spherical in form, and brittle of substance. The female lays a large number of these eggs, from fifty to sixty being the usual average, and always deposits them in some dry situation. In order to find a suitable spot for the deposition of her eggs, the female leaves the water, and is often forced to traverse a considerable distance before she can find a spot sufficiently dry for her purpose. Sometimes she will even ascend a very steep acclivity in her anxiety to find a locality that is quite dry, covered with sandy soil, and exposed to the full rays of the sun. She begins her task about May, and the little Tor- toises are hatched in July. The following curious account of the tenacity of life possessed by these creatures has been kindly forwarded to me :— ‘“As regards the tenacity of life of the Snapping Turtle, and the sympathy (7apport) which seems to exist between its severed limbs and main trunk, for some time after the separa- tion has taken place, I witnessed a very curious incident when staying at a farm in Massa- chusetts. ‘*When I had brought the animal home, suspended by its tail, I killed it by chopping its head off, yet the head would open and shut the mouth, and roll its eyes. When I held a stick between the open jaws it closed them with violence, and kept hold of it. Meanwhile the headless body was crawling on the ground. ‘About a quarter of an hour after having severed the head from the body, my mother had got boiling water, which I threw over the body, placed in a tub, in order to make the horny matter separate from the flesh ; the moment this was done the back heaved and the sides were puffed out as if wind were blown between the skin and flesh, and instantaneously the head, which lay about three or four feet from the tub, on the ground, opened its mouth with a slight hissing sound, let go its hold on the stick, and the part of the neck adhering to the head expanded, as if also wind was blown into it, and both body and head lay motion- less and dead. After having taken out thirty-four eggs, I took out the heart, which, strange to say, was still throbbing with life, contracting and expanding. I put it upon a plate, where it kept on beating until about noon the following day.”’ In this species, the front edge of the carapace is furnished with a great number of tooth- like points, all radiating from the shell. These teeth, or tubercles, distinguish it from two other American species, appropriately termed the Unarmed Trionyx (7riényx miticus), and the Mississippi Snapper (Alacrochelys lacertina). This species is common in the Gulf States, and as far north as Illinois. It is regarded as one of the strongest and most ferocious of reptiles. Holbrook records a Turtle under the name of Temminck’s Snapper (Chelonura temminch?). BEFORE taking leave of the Soft Turtles, we must cast a casual glance at two rather curious species. The one is the TyrsxE (7yrse, or Tridnyx niloticus), a native of Africa, as its name imports. This animal is found in the Nile, and other African rivers, and is a good repre- sentation of the American reptile, being very fierce, strong and voracious, and said to devour the young crocodiles, just as the snapping turtle eats young alligators. The shell of the Tyrse is rather convex, but often is flattened along the line of the vertebrae, and its back is olive-green spotted with yellow or white. The other species is the DoGanta (Dogania subplanus, or Tridényx subplanus). This curious-looking reptile is an Asiatic species, and is found in India. Its neck seems pre- ternaturally long, and supports a very large head, broad behind, and produced into a conical muzzle in front. The shell is rather oval, much flattened, and quite conceals the conical tail. Its color is brown, mottled largely with yellow; the head is also yellow SELM4R HESS, PUBLISHER, N. ¥ SOFT TURTLES. By PS f or Pas 7 LP a e " AN - ~~ c 7 a yeh iy wn cai = nas i—{ ——<- ee . : THE LUTH, OR LEATHERY TURTLE. 21 and brown. The ribs are not fully united together until the animal has attained a rather advanced age. WE now arrive at the TURTLES, a group that can be distinguished by many unmistakable marks. Their feet are very long, those of the fore-limbs being longest, flat, expanded at the end, and often furnished with flattened claws. In fact, the feet are modified into fins or paddles, in order to suit the habits of these reptiles, which only feel themselves at home in the water, and are often met at sea some hundreds of miles from the nearest land. The ribs of the Turtles, instead of being united throughout their length, as in the tortoises, are only wide, flat, and united for part of their length, the remaining portions being free, and radiating like the spokes of a wheel. WR AA WAYS A \ \ ra \RS We S' \ — Sy AX \\ \\ DOGANIA.—Dogania subplanus. These reptiles inhabit the seas of the torrid and the temperate zones, and their food is mostly of a vegetable nature, consisting of various seaweeds, but there are a few species which are animal feeders, and eat creatures such as mollusks, star-fish, and other marine inhabitants. Several species are remarkably excellent for food, and caught in great numbers for the table, while others are equally useful in supplying the beautiful translucent substance known by the name of tortoise-shell. Their head is rather globular, and their jaws are naked and horny, and are capable of inflicting a severe wound. Tue first example of the true Turtles is the Luru, or LrarHery TURTLE (Dermatochelys coriacea), so called from the soft leather-like substance with which its shell is covered. This species is found in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, where it grows to a very large size, often weighing more than sixteen hundred pounds, and measuring eight feet in length. Being a very good swimmer, owing to the great development of the limbs, especially the fore-legs, it ventures far out to sea, and is occasionally driven to strange countries. Speci- mens of this reptile have been taken on the coast of France, and on other shores. These individuals were rather large, weighing about seven or eight hundred pounds. 5 bo THE LUTH, OR LEATHERY TURTLE. b The Leathery Turtle feeds on fish, crustacea, mollusks, radiates, and other animals, and its flesh seems to be hurtful, causing many symptoms of poisoning in those who eat it. This species is remarkable for having no horny plates, the bones of the carapace and plastron being covered with a strong leathery skin, smooth in the adult animal, but covered with tubercles in the young. Along the back run seven ridges, sharp, and slightly toothed in the full-grown Turtle, but bluntly tubercled in the young. The eye is very curious, as the lids are set vertically instead of horizontally, and when the creature opens and shuts its eyes, have a very singular effect. The jaws are very formidable, being sharply edged, deeply scooped with three rounded notches in the front of the upper jaw, so as to form two curved sharply pointed teeth, and the extremity of the lower jaw is strongly hooked. LUTH, OR LEATHERY TURTLE.—Dermatochelys corvacea. The legs of the Leathery Turtle are very long, especially the two fore-limbs, which, in a specimen measuring eight feet in total length, were nearly three feet long, and more than nine inches wide. The feet are not furnished with claws, but the toes have a little horny scale at their tips, which take the place of the claws. The general color of this animal is dark brown, with pale yellow spots, but sometimes the skin is irregularly pied with black and white. This great creature is essentially a sea-going one, though perhaps not more so than the Hawk’s-bill, Green, and Loggerhead species. Its very large flippers rather suggest the above statement. The editor of this edition has taken the liberty to drop from the original text the state- ment that this Tortoise resorts to the Tortugas Islands for breeding purposes. This statement has no foundation in fact. The great Loggerheads and the Green Turtles do resort to that group of keys, and breed in considerable numbers, a notice of which will be seen in the text on those species. The breeding-places of the Leathery Tortoise are not known to science. Our first acquaintance with this creature was during the summer of 1855, when a middle- sized one came ashore on Nahant Beach, near Boston, Mass. > 7 Y THE BULL-FROG. 155 life for the greater part of its existence, living in a hole near the water, and seldom leaving its domicile by day unless when suddenly alarmed. If frightened by an unknown sound or sight, the Bull-Frog leaps at once into the water, and instead of diving to the bottom immediately, skims along the surface for a few yards before it disappears. During the breeding season, these huge Frogs assemble together in great multitudes, congregating to the amount of four or five hundred in some pool or marsh, sitting with their bodies half submerged, and making night hideous with their horrid bellowing cries. Few persons, except those who have had personal experience, and who have lost night after night of needful sleep by the ceaseless noise, can imagine the loudness of voice and variety of tone possessed by the different species of Frogs. And travellers who lie awake at night, unwilling hearers of the nocturnal concerts, are disposed to envy the happy ignorance of those whose calmer lot is cast in countries where the drummings, bellowings, chatterings, and pipings of the Frog race are practically unknown. Among these nightly musicians the Bull-Frog is the loudest and most pertinacious ; mostly remaining quiet by day, but sometimes exulting in a black cloud or a heavy shower, and raising its horrid din even in the hours of daylight. It is a most voracious creature, feeding mostly on snails and similar prey, which it catches on its nocturnal excursions from its domicile, but often devouring animals of a larger size, such as crayfish, two of which crustaceans have been found in the stomach of a single Bull- Frog, and even gobbling down an occasional chicken or duckling. Taking advantage of its voracity, the inhabitants of the country are in the habit of catching it by means of a rod and line. The hook is generally baited with an insect, and gently drawn along the ground near the Frog, which leaps upon it, seizes it, and is hooked without difficulty. It is rather curious that the Frog will not touch the insect as long as it is allowed to rest quietly on the ground, but as soon as the line is pulled, so as to make the insect move, it is at once pounced upon. ‘The common Frogs and toads have the same custom. The flesh of the Bull-Frog is very delicately flavored, and in some piaces the creature is kept in captivity and fed for table. This species is exceedingly active, making leaps of eight or ten feet in length and five feet in height. There is a well-known story of a race between a Bull-Frog and an Indian, the former to have three jumps in advance, and the distance about forty yards, to a pond from which the Frog had been taken. When the parties were ready to start, the glowing tip of a burning stick was applied to the Bull-Frog, which set off at such a rate, and made such astonishing leaps to get into the welcome water, that its human opponent was vanquished in the race. In some places this creature is never disturbed, as it is supposed, perhaps with some justice, to aid in keeping the water pure. The popular name of Bull-Frog is derived from its cry, which is said to resemble the bellowing of the animal whose name it bears. Several species of Frog have been classed under the same popular name. The color of the Bull-Frog is brown, mottled with black above, and taking a greener hue upon the head. The abdomen is grayish-white, and the throat is white dotted with green. The length of the head and body of the large species is rather more than six inches, and a fine specimen will sometimes measure nineteen or twenty inches from the nose to the extremity of its feet. The skin of the back is smooth, and without any longitudinal fold. THERE is another tolerably common species inhabiting the same country, which is also popularly called the Bull-Frog. It may be readily distinguished from the bull-Frog, which it otherwise greatly resembles, by the presence of a glandular fold on each side of the back. It is a very noisy creature, with a sharper and more yelping cry than the preceding species. When disturbed, it shoots at once into the water, and there sets up its peculiar cry. It is more active than the common bull-Frog, and if once released, is almost certain to escape, from the great length and rapidity of its leaps, the creature never seeming to pause between two jumps, but springing off the earth with an instantaneous rebound not unlike the flying leaps of the jerboa or kangaroo. It is a moisture-loving species, and is never found far from water. 156 DEVELOPMENT OF THE TADPOLE. WE now come to the best known of all the batrachians, the Common Frog. The general form and appearance of this creature are too well known to need much description. It is found plentifully in all parts of Europe and America, wandering to consid- erable distances from water, and sometimes getting into pits, cellars, and similar localities, where it lives for years without ever seeing water. The food of the adult Frog is wholly of an animal character, and consists of slugs, possibly worms, and insects of nearly every kind, the wire-worm being a favorite article of diet. A little colony of Frogs is most useful in a garden, as they will do more to keep down the various insect vermin that injure the garden, than can be achieved by the constant labor of a human being. The chief interest of the Frog lies in the curious changes which it undergoes before it attains its perfect condition. Every one is familiar with the huge masses of transparent jelly- like substance, profusely and regularly dotted with black spots, which lie in the shallows of a river or the ordinary ditches that intersect the fields. Each of these little black spots is the egg of a Frog, and is surrounded with a globular gelatinous envelope about a quarter of an inch in diameter. According to gipsy lore, rheumatism may be cured by plunging into a bath filled with Frog spawn. On comparing these huge masses with the dimensions of the parent Frog, the observer is disposed to think that so bulky a substance must be the aggregated work of a host of Frogs. Such, however, is not the case, although the mass of spawn is forty or fifty times NN DEVELOPMENT OF THE EGG AND OF THE TADPOLE OF THE GREEN FROG.—1. Eggs just laid. 2. The same, a short while later. 8. Tadpole in the Egg. 4 and 5. Tadpoles just out of Egg. 6 to 12. Further development of the Tadpole, up to its last transformation, Jarger than the creature which laid it. The process is as follows: The eggs are always laid under water, and when first deposited, are covered with a very slight but firm membranous envelope, so as to take up very little space. No sooner, however, are they left to develop, than the envelope begins to absorb water with astonishing rapidity, and in a short time the eggs are inclosed in the centre of their jelly-like globes, and thus kept well apart from each other. In process of time, certain various changes take place in the egg, and at the proper period the form of the young Frog begins to become apparent. In this state it isa black grub-like creature, with a large head and a flattened tail. By degrees it gains strength, and at last fairly breaks its way through the egg and is launched upon a world of dangers, under the various names of tadpole, pollywog, toe-biter, or horsenail. As it is intended for the present to lead an aquatic life, its breathing apparatus is formed on the same principle as the gills of a fish, but is visible externally, and when fully developed consists of a double tuft of finger-like appendages on each side of the head. The tadpole, with the fully developed branchize, is shown at Fig. 6, on the accompanying illustration. No sooner, however, have these organs attained their size than they begin again to diminish, the shape of THE BANDED FROG. 157 the body and head being at the same time much altered. In a short time they entirely dis- appear, being drawn into the cavity of the chest, and guarded externally by a kind of gill cover. This is is shown in Figs. 7 and 8. Other changes are taking place meanwhile. Just behind the head two little projections appear through the skin, which soon develop into legs, which, however, are not at all employed for progression, as the tadpole wriggles its way through the water with that quick undulation of the flat tail which is so familiar to us all. The creature then bears the appearance repre- sented in Fig. 10. Presently another pair of legs make their appearance in front, the tail is gradually absorbed into the body—not falling off, according to the popular belief—the branchiz vanish, and the lungs are developed. Figs. 11 and 12 represent a young Frog in a state absorbing the tail. The internal changes are as marvellous as the external. When first hatched, the young tadpole is to all intents and purposes a fish, has fish-like bones, fish-like gills, and a heart composed of only two chambers, one auricle and one ventricle. But in proportion to its age, these organs receive corresponding modifications, a third chamber for the heart being formed by the expansion of one of the large arteries, the vessels of the branchize becoming gradually suppressed, and their place supplied by beautifully cellular lungs, formed by a development of certain membranous sacs that appear to be analogous to the air-bladders of the fishes. The Frog, contracted as are its intellectual powers, is yet susceptible to human influence, and can be tamed by kind treatment. Mr. Bell mentions a curious instance where one of these creatures became so completely domesticated, that it used to come nightly from a hole in the skirting-boards where it had established itself, partake of food offered to it by the members of the family, and even jump upon the hearth-rug in winter in order to enjoy the warmth of the fire. A favorite cat, which inhabited the same house, took a strange fancy to the Frog, and these seemingly incongruous companions were to be constantly seen sitting together on the hearth-rug, the Frog nestling under the soft warm fur of the cat. The Frog was, however, more than a year an inmate of the house before it became domesticated, and for many months would retreat to its stronghold when approached. Stories of so-called ‘*showers of Frogs”? are often seen in the papers, and as a general rule are little to be credited, the solution of the supposed phenomenon being merely that a shower of rain has induced the creatures to come simultaneously from their retreats. There are, however, instances where credible spectators have seen them fall, and in such cases the little creatures were probably sucked up by a waterspout, or even by a brisk whirlwind, together with the water in which they were disporting, carried away for some distance, and at last dropped on the ground, as is sometimes the case with sticks, stones, and leaves, picked up by a passing whirlwind. The general color of the common Frog is greenish-yellow, or brown, the same individual often passing through all these colors in a fewdays. A long patch of blackish-brown or warm brown is placed behind each of the eyes, and it is yellowish-white below. There are no teeth in the lower jaw, and only a single row of very tiny teeth in the upper jaw and on the palate. The ordinary length of the Frog is rather less than three inches, and the total length of the hinder leg is about four inches. A very pretty species of this genus is found in Southern Africa. This is the BANDED Frog, remarkable for the beautiful stripes which adorn its body, and the inordinate length of the second toe of the hind-foot. This pretty creature is not very plentiful in any one locality, but is spread widely through- out the Cape district and the whole of Southern Africa. It is very active, being a good leaper, and brisk in all its movements. The second toe of the hind-foot is truly remarkable. The whole of the toes are but slightly webbed, and project boldly beyond the connecting mem- brane ; but the second toe is nearly as long as the whole body, which is longer than in the generality of Frogs. The object of this exceeding development is not very clear. The general color of this species is wood-brown, upon which are drawn six dark streaks, 158 THE ORNATE LAND-FROG. the two centre stripes running nearly the entire length of the body. The hinder part of the thigh is orange-brown, and the under parts are yellowish-white. The length of the head and body is nearly two inches. Tue celebrated EprBLE FrRoG, or GREEN FrRoG of Europe (Rana esculenta), also belongs to this large genus. This handsome species is common in all the warmer parts of that Continent, but in the vicinity of large cities is seldom seen, except in the ponds where it is preserved, and whence issues a horrid nocturnal concert in the breeding-time. The proprietors of these frog- geries supply the market regularly, and draw out the Frogs with large wooden rakes as they are wanted. In Paris these creatures are sold at a rather high price for the table, and as only the hind-legs are eaten, a dish of Frogs is rather an expensive article of diet. It is needful to make a very early visit to the market, four or five A. Mm. being about the best time, to see the manner in which the Frogs are brought to market. They are gener- ally sold by women, each of whom has by her side two tubs or barrels, one containing living Frogs, and the other having a leather band nailed to the side, in which is stuck a sharp, broad- bladed knife. When the purchaser has bargained for a certain number, the seller plunges her left hand into the one barrel, brings out a Frog by its legs, lays it across the edge of the second barrel, and with a single cut of the knife, severs the hind-legs just above the pelvis, leaving the whole of the body and fore-quarters to fall into the tub. The hind-legs are then carefully skinned, and dressed in various ways, that with white sauce seeming to be the best, at all events according to my own taste. They require considerable cooking, but when properly dressed have a most delicate and peculiar flavor, which has been compared, but not very happily, to the wing of a chicken. I would suggest that a mixture of the smelt and the breast of the spring chicken would convey a good idea of the Edible Frog when cooked. Poachers are very apt to invade the froggeries, and without entering the boundaries often contrive to kidnap a goodly number of the inmates by a very curious mode of angling, some- thing like ‘‘bobbing”’ for eels. They get a very long fishing-rod, tie a line of sufficient length to the tip, and at the end of the line they fasten, in place of a hook and bait, a simple piece of scarlet cloth. Thus prepared, they push the rod over the fence, let the scarlet rag just touch the surface of the water, and shake the rod so as to make the rag quiver and jump about. The Frog, thinking that it has found a very savory morsel, leaps at the rag, closes its mouth firmly upon it, and is neatly tossed out of the water and over the hedge before it can make up its mind to loosen its hold. The color of this species is bright green spotted with black, and having three bold yellow stripes along the back. The under parts are yellowish. In size it is rather larger than the common species. Tur remarkable HorNED FRoG is one of the quaintest species among the Frog tribe. There are several species belonging to this genus, all inhabiting Southern America, and all notable for the singular development of the upper eyelids, which are prolonged into hard, horn-like points. In the present species the back is furnished with a bony shield, and the prominences over the eyes are bold and well defined. The body is short, stout, and squat, the skin covered with tubercles and folds, and the opening of the mouth enormous. Itis a large and voracious species, one specimen when opened being found to have swallowed a full-grown land-Frog (Cystignathus fuscus), belonging to the same genus as our next example. The toes are long, powerful, and with hardly a vestige of web except just at the base. Tue little Ornate LAND-FRoG affords a remarkable contrast to the last-mentioned species on account of its small dimensions, the activity of its movements, and the beauty of its coloring. It is found in Georgia and South Carolina, and is always seen on land and dry spots, its thirsty frame being amply supplied by the dews and casual rains without needing immersion in water. Indeed, this Frog is so little conversant with the element usually so familiar to all its tribe, that if thrown into water, it makes no attempt to swim, but lies THE NURSE FROG. 159 helplessly sprawling on the surface. On land, however, it displays wonderful activity, being of an extremely lively nature, and making long and bold leaps in rapid succession, so that it is not to be captured without considerable difficulty. The color of this species is rather variable, but is generally of a soft dove tint, on which are placed several oblong marks of deep rich brown, edged with golden yellow. Below it is silvery-white granulated with gray. Itisa very little species, measuring only one inch and a quarter when full-grown. ANOTHER species of this genus, the SENEGAL Lanp-FrRoe (Cystignathus senegalensis), inhabits Southern Africa. It resides in burrows in the ground, and is tolerably quiet, except before rain or on a dull day, when it begins to pipe, and continues its curious cry for several hours together. The voice of this Frog is a sharp piping whistle several times repeated. Dr. A. Smith relates that he was greatly puzzled on hearing this strange whistling sound, and made many a fruitless search after the utterer. At last one of the Hottentots showed him the animal in its burrow, and after that time he was able to procure as many as were desired. The head and body of this species are short, puffy, and smooth, and the color is yellowish- gray, with three longitudinal bands. Below, it is yellowish-white without any mottlings. Its length is about two inches. THE pretty Parnrep FRoG is a European species, being found in Greece, Sicily and Sardinia. It has a rather wide range of locality, as it is not uncommon in Northern Africa, along the banks of the Nile, and is tolerably plentiful along the shores of the Mediter- ranean. It is fond of water, but seems careless whether it be salt or fresh, and is found indiffer- ently in rivers, streams, lakes, and the saline morasses. The common esculent Frog possesses similar habits, and the two species are often seen in company. The food of the Painted Frog consists of insects, spiders, slugs, and snails, both terrestrial and aquatic. There is a difference in the web of the toes in the sexes, those of the female being scarcely webbed at all, while in the male the membrane extends to half their length. The thumb is quite rudi- mentary, and its place is indicated by a small tubercular projection. The color and general aspect of the skin are extremely variable, the difference seeming to be quite capricious, and not depending on sex or locality. The ground color is usually yellowish-green or olive, decorated with spots and having several white longitudinal streaks. In some specimens the skin is smooth, while in others it is covered with tubercles, and the spots are seldom alike in two individuals, sometimes running together so as to form continuous bands. The white lines too are often partially, and sometimes wholly absent. In this species the male does not possess any vocal sacs. THE reader will remember that in the description of the Surinam Toad, on page 150, mention was made of the curious manner in which the female carries her eggs upon her back until they have passed through their preliminary stages of existence. A noteworthy analogy, close in some respects, but failing singularly in others, is to be found in the Nurse FRoe of Europe (Alytes obstétricans). In this species it is the male that undergoes the anxieties of watching over the young offspring, his mate being comparatively free from that duty. When the eggs, about sixty in number, are laid, he takes possession of them, and fastens them to his legs by means of a glutinous substance, and carries them about with him wherever he goes. In process of time, the eggs swell, and become so transparent that the black eyes of the future young are seen through their envelopes. Their careful parent then proceeds to some spot where he can find still water, deposits them, and departs, rejoicing in his freedom. The young soon burst their way through the envelopes in which they had been surrounded, and swim off merrily. Except at such times, the Nurse Frog is seldom seen in the vicinity of water, and even at 160 THE COMMON TOAD. that season, the creature does not care to swim about, or even to enter the water. The color of this species is olive-brown with small dark spots. Tue very odd-looking species which is popularly and appropriately termed the SoLirary Froe is a native of North America, and is remarkable for several peculiarities of form, the eye and the foot being chiefly notable. It is a land-loving species, never seen in or near water except during the breeding-season. During the greater part of the year it resides in holes which it scoops in the sandy soil, and at the bottom of which it sits watching for prey, much like a gigantic ant-lion. In order to assist it in digging, the animal is furnished with a flat, sharp-edged spur, with which it scoops out the loose soil. Sometimes, however, it wedges itself into the sand, tail foremost, and shovels its way downwards much after the fashion of the crab. The hole is about six inches in depth. Quick though it is in this labor, it is but a sluggish and inactive creature when compared with most of its kin, being a very poor leaper, and slow in most of its movements. It is gener- ally to be seen in the month of March, just after the spring rains, and is a very hardy species, caring little for cold, and traversing the snow without apparent inconvenience. The eye of the Solitary Frog is very beautiful, and at the same time most remarkable. It is large, full, and of a rich topaz hue, and across its centre run two bold black lines at right angles to each other, so as to form a cross very like that which is seen upon starch grains when viewed by polarized light. Altogether, the aspect of this species is very unique. It looks much more like a toad than a frog, and has aremarkably blunt snout. Its general color is olive, mottled with brown above, and covered with tubercles. Along each side of the spine runs a line of ‘‘king’s yellow,”’ and the under parts are yellowish-white. The average length of the Solitary Frog rather exceeds two inches. Tue last of the true Frogs which can be mentioned in this work is the BomMBARDIER (Bombindator igneus), a native of many parts of Europe, and common in France. It is fond of water, and seldom found in very dry localities. When disturbed, it has the power of emitting a strong and very unpleasant odor of garlic, which serves it as a means of defence, like the penetrating scent of the common ringed snake. It is active, and can both swim and leap well. The eggs are laid in long strings, and the tadpole is of a very large size when compared with the earliest state of its perfect existence, and, like the paradoxical Frog already described, is larger in the tadpole state than after it has assumed its perfect form. The color of the Bombardier is grayish-brown above, and orange below, marbled or spotted with blue-black. WE now arrive at another section of Batrachians, including those creatures which are known under the title of Toaps, and of which the Common Toap of Europe is so familiar anexample. The members of this section may be known by the absence of teeth in the jaws and the well-developed ears. The general aspect and habits of this creature are too well known to require more than a cursory notice. Few creatures, perhaps, have been more reviled and maligned than the Toad, and none with less reason. In the olden days, the Toad was held to be the very compendium of poison, and to have so deadly an effect upon human beings, that two persons were related to have died from eating the leaf of a sage bush under which a Toad had burrowed. Still, even in those times, it was held to possess two virtues, the one being the celebrated jewel supposed to be found in its head, and the other the power of curing bleeding at the nose. This jewel could not be procured by dissection, but must be obtained by causing the owner to eject it. ‘* But the art,’”’ says one of the quaint old writers, ‘‘is in taking of it out, for they say it must be taken out of the head alive before the Toad be dead, with a piece of cloth of the color of red Scarlet, wherewithal they are much delighted, so that while they stretch out them- selves as it were in sport upon that cloth, they east out the stone of their head, but instantly they sup it up again, unless it be taken from them through some secret hole in the said cloth, THE COMMON TOAD. 161 whereby it falleth into a cistern or vessel of water into which the Toad dareth not enter, by reason of the coldnesse of the water. . . . . The probation of this Stone is by laying of it toa live Toad, and if she lift up her head against it, it is good, but if she run away from it, it is a counterfeit.” The same writer gives, in his own racy language, an account of the use to which even so venomous an animal as a Toad may be put by those who know how to employ the worst things for the best purposes. ‘‘ Frederic, the Duke of Saxony, was wont to practis in this manner. He had ever a Toad pierced through with a piece of wood, which Toad was dryed in the smoak or shadow, this he rowled in a linnen cloth; and when he came to a man bleeding at the nose, he caused him to hold it fast in his hand until it waxed hot, and then would the bloud be stayed. Whereof the Physitians could never give any reason, except horrour and fear constrained the bloud to run into his proper place, through fear of a Beast so contrary to humane nature. The powder also of a Toad is said to have the same vertue.”’ For these and other similar opinions too numerous for mention, there is some little founda- tion. The skin of the Toad’s back is covered thickly with little glands, and some larger glands are gathered into two sets, one at each side of the back of the head, and secrete a liquid sub- stance, with sufficient acridity to make the eyes smart should they be touched with this fluid, and to force a dog to loose his hold, if he should pick up a Toad in his mouth, and run away with open jaws and foaming mouth. The glands at the back of the head secrete a large quan- tity of liquid, and if pressed, will eject it in little streams to the distance of a few inches. In France, this poor creature is shamefully persecuted, the idea of its venomous and spite- ful nature being widely disseminated and deeply rooted. The popular notion is that the Toad is poisonous throughout its life, but that after the age of fifty years it acquires venomous fangs like those of the serpents. I once succeeded, but with great difficulty, in saving the life of a fine fat Toad that was leisurely strolling in the Forest of Meudon and had got into a rut too deep for escape. I had stooped down to remove the poor creature from danger, but was dragged away by the by-standers, who quite expected to see me mortally bitten, and who pro- ceeded to slaughter the Toad on the spot. ‘‘ Every one kills Toads in France,’’ said they. Hearing from them, however, that tobacco was instantaneously fatal to Toads, I made a compromise that they might kill it by putting tobacco on it, but in no other way. The experiment was accordingly tried, and I had the pleasure of seeing the creature walk away with the tobacco on its back, quite unconscious that it ought to have been dead. One of the spectators not onlyinsisted upon the quinquegenarian fangs, but averred that he had a pair at home in a box. However, I never could induce him to show them to me. In point of fact, the Toad is a most useful animal, devouring all kinds of insect vermin, and making its rounds by night when the slugs, caterpillars, earwigs, and other creatures are abroad on their destructive mission. Many of the market-gardeners are so well aware of the extreme value of the Toad’s services, that they purchase Toads at a certain sum per dozen, and turn them out in their grounds. Dull and apathetic as the Toad may seem, it has in it an affectionate and observant nature, being tamed with wonderful ease, and soon learning to know its benefactors and to come at their call. Mr. Bell had one of these creatures, which was accustomed to sit on one hand and take its food out of the other. Many persons have possessed tame Toads, which would leave their hiding-place at the sound of a whistle or a call, and come hastily up to receive a fly, spider, or beetle. Toads can be rendered useful even in a house, for they will wage unceasing war against cockroaches, crickets, moths, flies, and other insect pests. It is worthy of notice, that the Toad will never catch an insect or any other prey as long as it is stationary, but on the slightest movement, the wonderful tongue is flung forward, picks up the fly on the tip, and returns to the throat, placing the morsel just in the spot where it can be seized by the muscles of the neck, and passed into the stomach. So rapidly is the act performed, that Mr. Bell has seen the sides of a Toad twitching convulsively from the struggles of a beetle just swallowed, and kicking vigorously in the stomach. Entomologists sometimes make a curious use of the Toad. Going into the fields soon after daybreak, they catch all the Toads they can find, kill them, and turn the contents of their Vou. III.—21. 162 TOADS FOUND IN ROOKS. stomachs into water. On examining the mass of insects that are found in the stomach, and which are floated apart in the water, there are almost always some specimens of valuable insects, generally beetles, which from their nocturnal habits, small dimensions, and sober col- oring, cannot readily be detected by human eyes. The Toad will also eat worms, and in swallowing them it finds its fore-feet of great use. The worm is seized by the middle, and writhes itself frantically into such contortions that the Toad would not be able to swallow it but by the aid of the fore-feet, which it uses as if they were hands. Sitting quietly down with the worm in its mouth, the Toad pushes it further between the jaws, first with one paw and then with another, until it succeeds by alternate gulps and pushes to force the worm fairly down its throat. These paws are also useful in aiding it to rid itself of its cuticle, which is shed at intervals, as is the case with many reptiles and Batrachians. The process is so singular, and so admi- rably described by Mr. Bell, that it must be given in his own words :— ‘“T one day observed a large Toad, the skin of which was particularly dry and dull in its color, with a light streak down the mesial line of its back; and on examining further, I discov- ered a corresponding line along its belly. This proved to arise from an entire slit in the old cuticle, which exposed to view the new and brighter skin underneath. Finding, therefore, what was going to happen, I watched the whole detail of this curious process. “*T soon observed that the two halves of the skin, thus completely divided, continued to recede farther and farther from the centre, and became folded and rugose; and after a short space, by means of the continued twitching of the animal’s body, it was brought down in folds on the sides. The hinder leg, first on one side and then on the other, was brought forward under the arm, which was pressed down upon it, and on the hinder limb being withdawn, its cuticle was left inserted under the arm, and that of the anterior extremity was now loosened, and at length drawn off by the assistance of the mouth. The whole cuticle was thus detached, and was now pushed by the two hands into the mouth in a little ball, and swallowed at a single gulp. I afterwards had repeated opportunities of watching this curious process, which did not materially vary in any instance.” Though apparently unfit for food, the Toad is eaten by some nations, and certainly is not more unprepossessing than the iguana. The Chinese, however, are in the habit of eating a species of Toad for the purpose of increasing their bodily powers, thinking that the flesh of this creature has the property of strengthening bone and sinew. This animal is extremely tenacious of life, and is said to possess the power of retaining life for an unlimited period if shut up in a completely air-tight cell. Many accounts are in existence of Toads which have been discovered in blocks of stone when split open, and the inference has been drawn that they were inclosed in the stone while it was still in the liquid state, some hundreds of thousands of years ago, according to the particular geological period, and had remained without food or air until the stroke of the pick brought them once more to the light of day. Such an account appears at once to be so opposed to all probability as to challenge a doubt; but if there had been sufficient testimony, even to one such fact, an unprejudiced thinker would be justified in placing it among the wonderful but veritable occurrences that occasionally startle mankind. But there really seems to be no account which is sufficiently accurate to permit of such a conclusion. In more than one case, the whole story has proved to be nothing more than an imposition; and in others, there is hardly sufficient evidence to show that some crevice did not exist, which would supply the inclosed animal with sufficient air for its narrow wants, and permit many minute insects to crawl into the cavity which held the imprisoned Toad. There is no doubt that in many cases a little Toad has crept into a rocky crevice after prey or in search of a hiding-place, and by reason of its rapid increase in size been unable to make its exit. As, moreover, the creature is very long lived, it would, by frequent move- ments, give a polish to the walls of its cell in a few years; a circumstance that has been employed as a proof of the antiquity of the Toad and its residence. Similar instances are known where the animal has been found inclosed in timber. Here, however, is less difficulty THE WARTY TOAD. 163 in accounting for the fact, because the growth of wood over a wounded part is often extremely rapid, and has been known to cause the inclosure of nails, tools, and even birds’ nests with their eggs. Even in such a case, there is not sufficient evidence to prove that the closure was absolutely perfect, and that the Toad was hermetically sealed in the wooden walls of its cell. Dr. Buckland made some experiments on this supposed property of the Toad, and inclosed a number of these creatures in artificial chambers, made to represent as nearly as possible the rock and wood in which the imprisoned Toads have been found. None of these experiments met with success; and in those cases where the Toads lived longest, the plaster was found imperfect. Some of the Toads whose cells were really air-tight died in a month or two. It may, however, be reasonably urged that such experiments do not fairly represent the original conditions under which an animal could survive for so long a period, and that in order to carry out the experiment in a consistent manner, the Toads ought to have been procured when very young, inclosed in a chamber with a moderate aperture, and that aperture lessened gradually, so as to prepare the creature by degrees for its long fast and deprivation of air. Fora good summary of this subject and a collection of almost every narrative, I may refer the reader to Mr. Gosse’s ‘‘ Romance of Natural History,’’ second series. The development of the Toad is much like that of the Frog, except that the eggs are not laid in masses, but in long strings, containing a double series of eggs placed alternately. These chains are about three or four feet in length, and one-eighth of an inch in diameter. They are deposited rather later than those of the Frog, and the reptiles, which are smaller and blacker than the Frog larvee, do not assume their perfect form until August or September. The general color of the Toad is blackish-gray with an olive tinge, and the tubercles which stud the surface are brown. Beneath, it is yellowish-white, tinged with gray, and in some specimens spotted with black. The full size of the Toad is not well ascertained, as it seems to have almost unlimited capacities for increasing in size together with years. The length of a very large specimen is about three inches and a half. The American Toad (Bufo lentiginosus) is exceedingly common in most parts of the United States. This species is peculiar in that it varies in several respects. An average specimen is about three inches in length, and two in breadth. Its general appearance is sufficiently familiar. This humble appearing, and to some vicious, but perfectly harmless reptile, or batrachian, is regarded by American agriculturists as a valuable agent in suppressing certain damaging insects. Five varieties are known. Sixty-seven species and varieties of Frogs and Toads are known in North America. ANOTHER species of Toad, the NATTERJACK, is found in many parts of Europe. It may be known from the common species by the short hind-legs, the more prominent eyes, the less webbed feet, the yellow line along the middle of the back, and the black bands on the legs. It is not so aquatic as the common Toad, haunting dry places, and seldom approaching water except during the breeding season. Its ordinary length is about three inches. THE GREEN or VARIABLE ToAp (Bufo viridis, or varidbilis) is rather a handsome species, and is found plentifully in the South of France. It derives its popular names from the large spots of deep green with which its wpper surface is adorned. Many of the Batrachians possess the capability of changing their hues according to locality or through mental emotion, and the Green Toad is extremely conspicuous in this respect, wearing different colors in light and shade, sleep and wakefulness. THe Warty Toap of Fernando Po (Bufo tuberésus) is a singular looking species, remarkable for the extreme development of the hard tubercles on the back, and being among Batrachians analogous to the moloch among lizards, or the porcupine among mammalia. The whole upper surface of the body is thickly covered with large tubercles, each having a horny spine in the centre. The glands on the back of the head are large and very conspicuous. Even the under parts are covered with tubercles, but without the spine in the centre. Above 164 THE GREEN TREE-FROG. each eyelid is a group of horny tubercles, so that the creature presents a most remarkable appearance. Its length is about three inches. Our last example of these creatures is the large Agua Toap of America (Bufo agua). This large species digs holes in the ground, and resides therein. It is one of the noisiest of its tribe, uttering a loud snoring kind of bellow by night and sometimes by day, and being so fond of its own voice that even if taken captive it begins its croak as soon as it is placed on the ground. It is very voracious, and as it is thought to devour rats, has been imported in large numbers from Barbadoes into Jamaica, in order to keep down the swarm of rats that devastate the plantations. When these creatures were first set loose in their new home, they began to croak with such unanimous good-will that they frightened the inhabitants sadly, and caused many anxious householders to sit up all night. This Toad grows toa great size, often obtaining a length of seven inches, and nearly the same measurement in breadth. It may be recognized by the great enlargementof the bone over the eyes, and the enormous dimensions of the glands behind the head. Its color is extremely variable. WE now come to the Tree-Frogs, or Tree-Toads, so called from their habits of climbing trees, and attaching themselves to the branches or leaves by means of certain discs on the toes, like those of the geckos. In the first family the toes are webbed, and the processes of the vertebree are cylindrical. A good example will be found in the Savan- NAH CrickeET FrRoG of America. This species is very common in its own country, and is found throughout a very large range of territories, specimens having been taken from several Northern and Southern States of America. It is a light, merry little animal, uttering its cricket-like chirp with continual reiteration, even in captivity. Should it be silent, an event sometimes greatly to be wished, it can at SAVANNAH CRICKET FROG.—Acris gryllus. any time be roused to utterance by sprink- ling it with water. It is easily tamed, learns to know its owner, and will take flies from his hand. This species frequents the borders of stagnant pools, and is frequently found on the leaves of aquatic plants and of shrubs that overhang the water. It is not, however, possessed of such strongly adhesive powers as the true Tree-Frogs, and is unable to sustain itself on the under side of a leaf. It is very active, as may be surmised from the slender body and very long hind-legs, and, when frightened, can take considerable leaps for the purpose of avoiding the object of its terror. The color of this species is greenish-brown above, diversified by several large oblong spots edged with white, and a streak of green, or sometimes chestnut, which runs along the spine and divides at the back of the head, sending off a branch to each eye. The legs are banded with dark-brown, and the under surface is yellowish-gray with a slight tinge of pink. It is but a little creature, measuring only an inch and a half in length. Another species (//yla carolinensis) is sometimes called by the same popular title, because its voice, like that of the preceding species, bears some resemblance to that of a cricket. Being one of the true Tree-Frogs, it is not a frequenter of the water, but proceeds to the topmost branches of trees, and there chirps during the night. ANOTHER family, containing the well-known Tree-Frog of Europe, has the toes webbed, and the processes of the vertebree flattened. The best-known species is the common GREEN THE GREEN TREE-FROG. 165 TrEeE-FRoG of Europe, now so familiar from its frequent introduction into fern-cases and terrestrial vivaria. This pretty creature is mostly found upon trees, clinging either to their branches or leaves, and being generally in the habit of attaching itself to the under side of the leaves, which it resembles so strongly in color, that it is almost invisible even when its situation is pointed out. When kept in a fern-case, it is fond of ascending the perpendicular glass sides, and there sticking firmly and motionless, its legs drawn closely to the body, and its abdomen flattened against the glass. The food of the Tree-Frog consists almost entirely of insects, worms, and similar creatures, which are captured as they pass near the leaf whereto their green foe is adhering. It is seldom seen on the ground except during the breeding season, when it seeks the water, and there deposits its eggs much in the same manner as the common Frog. The tadpole is hatched rather late in the season, and does not attain its perfect form until two full months have elapsed. Like the Toad, the Tree-Frog swallows its skin after the change. The common Tree-Frog is wonderfully tenacious of life, suffering the severest wounds without seeming to be much distressed, and having even been frozen quite stiff in a mass of ice without perishing. f( (, WU fia Naa - aia ve as M ii 2 tp GREEN TREE-FROG.—AHyla arborea. The following interesting account of a young Tree-Frog is by Mr. G. 8. Ullathorne :— *“ My acquaintance with this interesting reptile (which had already passed through all the stages of the tadpole state) began in the following manner :— ‘‘T was at school in Hanover at the time, and used frequently to take walks in the neigh- boring woods, with a companion. During one of these walks we came across three Green Frogs (or rather they came across our path). Guessing at once they were Tree-Frogs, and thinking that they were just the things to keep, we were ‘down upon them,’ and tied them up in our handkerchiefs. I contented myself with one, and let my companion have the others. When I arrived safely at my journey’s end with my Frog, I procured for him a good-sized glass jar, put a little water in the bottom, a branched stick for him to climb up (though he generally preferred the sides of the glass), covered the top of the jar with a piece of muslin, and installed him on a shelf with a salamander (Salamandra maculosa), a ring snake (atria torquata), and various other ‘ pets.’ ‘My great amusement was to watch the little creature eat. When I put a fly into his jar, as long as the fly remained quiet, the Frog took no notice of it, but directly the fly began 166 THE CHANGEABLE TREE-TOAD. buzzing about, the Frog would wake up from his lethargic state, and on a suitable opportunity would make a leap at the poor fly, adroitly catch it in his mouth (though he sometimes missed his mark), and, I need hardly add, swallow it. On one occasion, I gave my little favorite a very large ‘blue-bottle,’ almost as large as himself, but nothing daunted, he caught it in his mouth and endeavored to swallow it, though in vain, for had I not been there I verily believe he would have been choked. ‘* Before he changed his skin, which he did now and then, his color became much darker and looked more dirty, and he went into quite a torpid state, but when the event was over, he appeared greener and livelier than ever. One day, after I had had him some time, I was playing upon the pianoforte, when I was astonished by an extraordinary sound, but on looking round I discovered the cause of the great noise, for there was my Frog swollen to an immense extent under the chin, and croaking in a very excited manner, making quite a loud noise. I mention this circumstance because it has been imagined that a solitary Tree-Frog will not croak, but mine certainly proved to the contrary, for though the first croaking was evidently the effect of the piano, yet he would frequently croak after that time without being excited by any apparent noise whatever. I may here mention that the noise of a quantity of Frogs croaking and nightingales singing, has frequently kept me awake for a considerable time during a spring night. ‘* And now comes the most melancholy part of my story. Leaving my Frog carelessly on the window-sill, I went to school; when I came back there was the glass certainly, and the Frog also, but oh! distressingly melancholy to relate, the water was quite hot from the intense heat of the sun, and the poor Frog was scorched, or rather boiled to death—he was quite dis- colored, being instead of green, a sort of yellow. And thus ends my tale.” The color of this species is green above, sometimes spotted with olive, and a grayish-yellow streak runs through each eye towards the sides, where it becomes gradually fainter, and is at last lost in the green color of the skin. In some specimens there is a gravish spot on the loins. Below, it is of a paler hue, and a black streak runs along the side, dividing the vivid green of the back from the white hue of the abdomen. THE CHANGEABLE TREE-TOAD is a native of many parts of America, being found as far north as Canada, and as far south as Mexico. It is a common species, but owing to its faculty of assimilating its color to the tints of the object on which it happens to be sitting, it escapes observation, and is often passed unnoticed in spots where it exists in great numbers. This is a curious and noteworthy species, as it possesses the capability of changing its tints to so great an extent that its true colors cannot be described. It is usually found on the trunks of trees and old moss-grown stones, which it so nearly resembles in color, that it can hardly be detected, even when specially sought. The skin of this creature will, in a short time, pass from white through every intermediate shade to dark-brown, and it is not an uncommon event to find a cross-shaped mark of dark-brown between the shoulders. Old and decaying ptum-trees seem to be its favorite resting-places, probably because the insects congre- gate on such trees. It is a noisy creature, especially before rain, and has a curious liquid note, like the letter 7 frequently repeated, and then ending with a sharp, short monosyllable. During the breeding season, this Frog leaves the trees and retires to the pools, where it may be heard late in the evening. In the winter it burrows beneath the damp soil, and there remains until the spring. The contour of this species is very toad-like in shape and general appearance, and this resemblance is increased by the skin glands, which secrete a peculiarly acrid fluid. The upper surface of this creature is, as has already been remarked, too variable for description. There is always, however, a little bright yellow on the flanks, and the under surface is yellowish-white, covered with large granulations. The length of this species is about two inches. THE MARBLED TREE-TOAD. 167 Iy the PovcoHep Froe we find a most singular example of structure, the female being furnished with a pouch on her back, in which the eggs are placed when hatched, and carried about for a considerable period. This pouch is clearly analogous to the living cradle of the marsupial animals. It is not merely developed when wanted, as is the case with the-cells on the back of the Surinam Toad, but is permanent, and lined with skin like that of the back. The pouch does not attain its full development until the creature is of mature age, and the male does not possess it at all. When filled with eggs the pouch is much dilated, and extends over the whole back nearly as far as the back of the head. The opening is not easily seen without careful examination, being very narrow, and hidden in folds of the skin. Its color is very variable, but green has the predominance. It is found in Mexico, but many specimens have been brought from the Andes of Ecuador. A VERY curious species, called the Lichenrp TREE-Toap (Trachycéphalus lichendtus), inhabits Jamaica, and is described by Mr. Gosse in his ‘* Naturalist’s Sojourn”? in that island. It derives its name from the aspect of the head, which looks as if it was overgrown with lichens. It is generally found among the wild pine trees, and is very active, being able to take considerable leaps. Sometimes it puffs out its body, and causes a kind of frothy moisture to exhale from the skin. This moisture adheres to the fingers like gum, and causes the Frog to leave a trail behind it like that of a snail or slug. The color of the Lichened Tree-Toad is pale red mottled with brown, and having a large patch of the same color between the shoulders. The muzzle and sides are pale green, spotted with dark reddish-brown, and below it is whitish-gray, the chin being speckled with reddish- brown. The head is flattened, sharply pointed at the muzzle, and studded with sharp bony ridges. Its ordinary length is about four inches. ANOTHER species of the same genus, the MARBLED TREE-ToaD (7rachycéphalus marmo- ratus), is described by the same writer :— ‘*One of them was taken in a bedroom at Savannah-le-Mar, one night in October, having probably hopped in at the open window from the branches of a mango tree only a few feet distant. I was surprised at its change of color, in this respect resembling the chameleon and anoles, or still nearer, the geckos. “When I obtained it, the whole upper parts were of a rich deep amber-brown, with indistinct black bands. On looking at it at night, to my surprise I saw a great alteration of hue. It was paler on the head and back, though least altered there ; on the rump and on the fore and hind legs it was become a sort of semi-pellucid drab, marked with minute close-set dark specks. When disturbed, it presently became slightly paler still, but in a few minutes it had recovered its original depth of tint. In the course of half an hour it displayed again the speckled dark hue, and now uniformly so, save a black irregular patch or two on the head, and a dark patch between the mouth and each eye. The belly, which was very regularly shagreened, was of a dull buff, not susceptible of change. Its eyes retained their proverbial beauty, for the irides were of a golden-brown tint, like sun-rays shining through tortoise-shell. ‘“This specimen was about as large as a middling English Frog, being two inches and a quarter in length. ‘“While in captivity, if unmolested, it spent a good deal of time motionless, squatting flat and close, with shut eyes, as if sleeping, but sometimes it was active. I kept it in a basin covered with a pane of glass, for facility of observation. It would keep its face opposite the window, altering its position pertinaciously if the basin were turned, though ever so gently. It took no notice of cockroaches, nor of a large flesh-fly which buzzed about it, and even crawled over its nose. If taken in the hand, it struggled vigorously, so as to be with difficulty held ; once or twice, while thus struggling, it uttered a feeble squeak ; but if still retained, it would at length inflate the abdomen with air, apparently a sign of anger. It leaped, but not far.”’ 168 THE TWO-STRIPED FROG. A very odd-looking species is the BLur Froc. It is the sole representative of a family, remarkable for having webbed toes, flattened processes of the vertebree, and glands at the back of the head. The Blue Frog, as it is called from its hue, inhabits Australia, and is not uncommon at Port Essington, whence several specimens have been brought to Europe. The head of this species is broader than long, the muzzle short and rounded, and the gape very large. The secreting glands at the back of the head are large, and extend in a curve over the ear as far as the shoulder. They are pierced with a large number of pores, and by their shape and dimensions give to the creature a very singular aspect. The dises of the fore-feet are extremely large, and the toes of the hind-feet are about three-quarters webbed. The color of the Blue Frog is light, uniform blue above, and below silvery-white. Its length is about three inches and a half. Tue large and handsome BicoLORED TREE-F'ROG is the only species at present known as belonging to the family. In this creature the toes are not webbed, but in other respects the form resembles that of the preceding family, except, perhaps, that the processes of the vertebree are wider in pro- portion to their volume. The Bicolored Tree-Frog inhabits South America, Brazil, and Guiana, and seems to be tolerably common. Possibly its bright and boldly contrasting colors render it more conspicuous than its green and olive relatives. The popular name of this creature is very appropriate, as the whole of the upper parts are intense azure, and the under parts pure white, or white tinged with rose. The thighs and sides are spotted with the same hue as the abdomen. Passive over the small section of Frogs (erhylina) distinguishable by their toothed jaws and imperfect ears, and represented by a single species, we come to the third section of these animals (Hylaplesira), known by their toothless jaws and perfectly developed ears. Of this section, the Two-stRIPED FRoG affords a good example. This species is a native of Southern Africa, and is chiefly found in the eastern and north- eastern parts of the colony of Cape Town. It lives almost entirely upon or in trees, and may be seen either in the cavities of a decaying trunk, or clinging to the bark in close proximity to one of these holes. In Dr. A. Smith’s ‘* Mlustrations of the Zoology of Southern Africa,’ there is so curious and important an account of the imprisonment of this species in the bole of a tree, that it must be given in his own words :— **On the banks of the Limpopo River, close to the tropic of Capricorn, a massive tree was cut down to obtain wood to repair a wagon. The workman, while sawing the trunk longi- tudinally, nearly along its centre, remarked on reaching a certain point—‘ It is hollow, and will not answer the purpose for which it is wanted.’ ‘* He persevered, however, and when a division into equal halves was effected, it was discovered that the saw in its course had crossed a large hole, in which were five specimens of the species just described, each about an inch in length. Every exertion was made to discover a means of communication between the external air and the cavity, but without success. Every point of the latter was probed with the utmost care, and water was left in each half for a considerable time, without any passing into the wood. The inner surface of the cavity was black, as if charred, and so was likewise the adjoining wood for half an inch from the cavity. ‘“The tree, at the part where the latter existed, was nineteen inches in diameter, the length of the trunk was eighteen feet ; the age, which was observed at the time, I regret to say, does not appear to have been noted. When the Batrachia above mentioned were dis- covered, they appeared inanimate, but the influence of a warm sun, to which they were sub- jected, soon imparted to them a moderate degree of vigor. In a few hours from the time they were liberated, they were tolerably active, and able to move from place to place, apparently with great ease.” Stee) wt ny ” é- I find it superfluous to enter here into particulars, as I already, in the ‘ Descent of Testimonials to the “Cafeln” of Brebm’s Chierleben. Man,’ have willingly and openly confessed how much I have profited by Mr. Brehm’s book, and how highly I esteem it.” The late CHARLES DARWIN writes:—‘‘ The illustrations are the best I ever saw in any work. Sir Joun Lussock, Bart., D.C.L.: ve They are certainly very admirable.” W. B. CARPENTER, M.D., LL.D., writes:—‘‘I can quite endorse the favorable opinions already given by distinguished zoologists as to the high character of the illustrations —‘‘ You have, I think, done good service in publishing them. J + ” generally. oli ips creatures, and among the artists whose delineations will delight the reader, we may mention 2=2-§ Hnimate Creation. == WAZE have concluded to submit for public patronage a work with the above title, being a series ny) of exquisite Engravings representing the ANIMAL WORLD, executed with great scientific accuracy, and accompanied by full Descriptive Text, written in popular terms, so as to delight and instruct the people. Anyone who has considered the subject must be at a loss to under- stand why an ILLUSTRATED NATURAL History, comprehensive and at the same time popular, has not before this been published in this country. Indeed any lover of animals who has visited the great museums-and zoological gardens and has had access to books of engravings in the public libraries, could not fail to remark the wealth of material in existence devoted to this subject. Being confirmed i our conviction of the desirability of such a work, we laid under contribution the best existing authorities for the production of most perfect representations of all the more important Pe eee ee ee ee farsise Weir, Wolf, Coleman, Fr. Specht, and Mutzel. By far the: majority of t the engravings in these * Limes: are from drawings made fromthe /zvivg animals, By at the Zoolog gical Society’s Gardengi in London, England. Nee =e ya We’ purpose shat our patrons shalt be aided and interested nites study by stich an array ei pictures as has never before embellished any Natural History. In numerous instances the engraving is printed in oil-tolors, and this portion of the illustrations has been taken charge of by Messrs. L. Prang & Co., of Boston, who we believe rank foremost for high artistic results in this department of printing. hes Oleographs were copied under the superintendence of Mr. Prang from thé renowned “ Tafeln”’ of “ Brehm’s Thierleben,”sso that they may be declared perfectly reliable. We sought competent advice from various sources as to ype most suitable text that should ac company this panorama of handsonie Engravings. It was fognd impossible to embody all the present ideas of naturalists in a single work like this on account of the rapid advances and constant changes in their knowledge of, and habits of thought respecting, the Animal World. And it seemed ‘to us cor- rect that the true object of Zoology is not to arrange, to number, and to ticket animals in a formal inventory, but to inquire into their life-nature, and not simply to investigate the lifeless organism. What do we know of “ Man” from the dissecting-room? Is it not Man, the warrior, the states- man, the poet, etc., that we are interested in? With all vention which attaches itself to those. who are the accredited possessors of abstruse learning, their inordinate use of phraseology “detract: too much, we fear, from the fascination that the Sse ‘al the Animal World would otherwise yield, and as we are not content to have our work restricted to a favored few, we thought the task placed in our hands to be to keep the work free from a repellant vocabulafy of conventional te 4 Our endeavor has beento find an author whose work would be noted for its fund of ane d e and vitality rather than for merely anatomical and scientific presentation, and we arrived at. the conclu- — sion that we could not do better than avail ourselves of the Rev. J. . Wood’ s comprehensive work —a work most popularly approved by speakers of the English language. “It would be superfluous to — say one word concerning the standard character of his book, frontehereades of which old and young ~ at the other side of the Atlantic have obtained so much instruction and rational amusement. Avoid- ing the lengthened dissertations and minute classifications of specialists, he presents to his readers in — popular terms a complete treatise on the Animal Kingdom of all climes and countries. The one © objection that could be urged against it was, that animal life in America might be treated more fully and American forms given more consideration. In order to obviate this drawback and to do full — justice to the creatures of our own country, we secured the aid of Dr. J. B. HOLDER, of the Ameri- can Museum of Natural History in New York, an undoubted American authority, who has adapted — Wood’s work to American wants and given prominence to American forms of Animal life. re The splendid work on Rodentia, by Allen, Coues, and others, will be fully consulted. The — valuable work on North American Birds, by. Baird Brewer, and Ridgway, will’ be the guide in the — treatment of birds. The late arrangement of the classification and nomenclature of North American ~ Birds, by Mr. Ridgway, and the ommittee on that subject of the Ornithologists’ Union, will be — utilized in full. The arrangement of Mammals will be after the latest classification by Professor _ Flower, of the Zoological Society of London. So that this will be the first popular Natural History — worthy of the name that has made its appearance here, which gives due and full recognition to the animate world surrounding us. . Terms of Publication, The extent of the work will be 68 parts of 28 pages, at the price of 25 cents each. The entire publication will contain $4 Oleographs and 68 Full Page Engravings on Wood, besides many hundreds of exquisite Illustrations” interspersed through the text. The parts will be issued every two weeks, and are payable only as delivered. No subscriber's name will be received for less than the entire work, and anyone removing, or not regularly supplied, will please address the Publisher by mail, my NE. SELMAR HESS, Publisher, New York. ISSUED BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY, AND NOT FOR SALE IN BOOK STORES. iM) a yop ie ny tesla TIT. | ee ae a el i Ee a hy IN > PART 53 COMPLETE IN 68 PARTS. 25 CENTS. » THE RHINOPHRYNE. 169 The color of this species is deep liver-brown above, with two longitudinal yellow stripes, beginning at the eyes and extending as far as the base of the hind-legs. A forked yellow mark appears between these stripes just where they end, and the limbs are liver-brown, spotted with yellow. The under parts are very pale brownish-red profusely variegated with pale yellow spots In length it is nearly two inches. The generic name Brachymerus is derived from two Greek words, signifying short-thighed. THE Tincerne FroG of Southern America (Hylaplesia tinctoria) is worthy of a casual notice. This creature is so called because the Indians are said to employ it for imparting a differ- ent tinge to the plumage of the green parrot. They pluck out the feathers on the spots where they desire to give the bird a different colored robe, and then rub the wounded skin with the blood of this Frog. The new feathers that supply the places of those that have been removed, are said to be of a fine red or yellow hue. It is found in various parts of Southern America, and is common in Surinam, where it mostly inhabits the woods, traversing the branches and leaves by day, and at night concealing itself under the loose bark. Like the common Tree-Frog of Europe, it seldom visits the water except during the breeding-season, for the purpose of depositing its eggs. _ In color it is extremely variable. Some specimens are black, with a white spot on the top of the head, and two stripes of the same color running from the head along each side. In certain individuals there are cross bands of white between the stripes. Other examples are gray above and black below; some are wholly black, spotted with large round white marks; others are black ; others are gray, spotted with black ; while a few specimens are brown, with a large white spot on each side, and two white bands on the fore limbs. THE RHINOPHRYNE is remarkable as being the only known example among the Frogs where the tongue has its free end pointing forward, instead of being directed towards the throat. This curious spe- cies inhabits Mexico, and can easily be recog- nized by the peculiar form of its head, which is rounded, merged into the body, and has the muzzle abruptly trun- cated, so as to form a small circular dise in front. The gape is ex- tremely small, and the head would, if sepa- rated, be hardly recog- nizable as having be- ° ionged toa Frog. There are two glands by the ears, but although they are of considerable RHINOPHRYNE. —Rhinophryne dorsalis. dimensions, they are scarcely apparent externally, being concealed under the skin. The legs are very short and thick, and the feet are half-webbed. Each hind-foot is furnished with a flat, oval, horny spur formed by the development of one of the bones. There are no teeth in the jaws, and the Vox, II1.—22. : 170 THE SALAMANDER. ear is imperfect. The color of the Rhinophryne is slate-gray, with yellow spots on the sides and a row of similar spots along the back. Sometimes these latter spots unite so as to form a jagged line down the back. THE CRAWLING BATRACHIANS. WE now arrive at the Crawling Batrachians, technically called Amphibia Gradientia. All these creatures have a much elongated body, a tail which is never thrown off as in the frogs and toads, and limbs nearly equal in development, but never very powerful. Like the preceding sub-order, the young are hatched from eggs, pass through the preliminary or tadpole state, and, except in a very few instances, the gills are lost when the animal attains its perfect form. Both jaws are furnished with teeth, and the palate is toothed in some species. The skin is without scales, and either smooth or covered with wart-like excrescences. There is no true breast-bone, but some species have ribs. The development of the young from the egg is not quite the same as that of the tailless Batrachians. Instead of being deposited in masses or long strings, the eggs are laid singly, and are hatched in succession. When the young are first hatched they bear some resemblance to the tadpole of the frog, the gills being very conspicuous. In these creatures, however, the fore-legs make their appearance first, and are soon followed by the hinder pair, whereas in the frogs the hind-legs are seen for some time before the fore-limbs are visible externally. Further remarks will be made on this subject when we come to the well-known representative of this sub-order, the common newt or eft. SALAMANDER, —Sadlamandra maculosu. THE celebrated SALAMANDER, the subject of so many strange fables, is a species found in many parts of the continent of Europe. This creature was formerly thought to be able to withstand the action of fire, and to quench even the most glowing furnace with its icy body. It is singular how such ideas should have been so long promulgated, for although Aristotle repeated the tale on hearsay, Pliny tried the experiment, by putting a Salamander into the fire, and remarks, with evident surprise, that it was burned to a powder. A piece of cloth dipped in the blood of a Salamander was said to be unhurt by fire, and certain persons had in their possession a fire-proof fabric made, as they stated, of Salamander’s wool, but which proved to be asbestos. Another fable related of this creature still holds its ground, though perhaps with little reason. I have already mentioned one or two instances of the prejudices which are so deeply ingrained in the rustic mind, and given a short account of the superstitions prevalent in France tes ADVENTURE WITH A SALAMANDER. at =I — regarding toads. The Salamander there suffers an equally evil reputation with the toad, as may be seen by the following graphic and spirited letter :— ** Returning homeward a few evenings ago from a country walk in the environs of D——, I discovered in my path a strange-looking reptile, which, after regarding me steadfastly for a few moments, walked slowly to the side of the road, and commenced very deliberately clamber- ing up the wall. Never having seen a similar animal, I was rather doubtful as to its proper- ties ; but, reassured by its tranquil demeanor, I put my pocket-handkerchief over it, and it suffered itself to be taken up without resistance, and was thus carried to my domicile. On arriving chez moi, I opened the basket to show my captive to the servants (French), when, to my surprise and consternation, they set up such a screaming and hullabaloo, that I thought they would have gone into fits. “*Oh! la, la, la, layla !—Oh! la, la, la, ta, ta!’ and then a succession of screams, in altissimo, which woke up the children, and brought out the neighbors to see what could be the matter. “Oh, monsieur a rapporté un sourd !? ““< Un sourd ! cried one. *“*Un sourp!’ echoed another. “