At the end of the amphibious crew come frogs and toads, which swarm in
all the rivers, lakes, and marshes, and even the very plains of
Paraguay. But what is their use, what their occupation? They go on
singing their old complaint in the mud, though in Paraguay they have
nothing to complain of; for not being reckoned amongst the number of
eatables, and being entirely excluded from the kitchen, they are neither
desired nor attacked, and consequently live in the completest security.
To destroy the race of frogs, I had long wished that the voracious
Indians would take it into their heads to eat them, for whenever we
slept in the open air by the side of a river or lake, we were
exceedingly annoyed by their croaking. Their voice, as well as colour,
is extremely various, for some utter a gentle, clear, sharp sound,
others, perhaps the more aged ones, a rough, hoarse, disagreeable
croaking. Of toads, horse-leeches, and other insects of that
description, we shall speak in another place.