Well, let us have a look at the pond-world; choose a dry place at the
side, and fix our eyes steadily upon the dirty water: what shall we see?
Nothing at first; but wait a minute or two: a little round black knob
appears in the middle; gradually it rises higher and higher, till at
last you can make out a frog's head, with his great eyes staring hard at
you, like the eyes of the frog in the woodcut facing Æsop's fable of the
frog and the bull. Not a bit of his body do you see: he is much too
cunning for that; he does not know who or what you are; you may be a
heron, his mortal enemy, for aught he knows. You move your arm: he
thinks it is the heron's bill coming; down he goes again, and you see
him not: a few seconds, he regains courage and reappears, having
probably communicated the intelligence to the other frogs; for many big
heads and many big eyes appear, in all parts of the pond, looking like
so many hippopotami on a small scale. Soon a conversational "Wurk; wurk,
wurk," begins: you don't understand it; luckily, perhaps, as from the
swelling in their throats it is evident that the colony is outraged by
the intrusion, and the remarks passing are not complimentary to the
intruder. These frogs are all respectable, grown-up, well-to-do frogs,
and they have in this pond duly deposited their spawn, and then,
hard-hearted creatures! left it to its fate; it has, however, taken care
of itself, and is now hatched, at least that part of it which has
escaped the hands of the gipsies, who not unfrequently prescribe baths
of this natural jelly for rheumatism....
In some places, from their making this peculiar noise, frogs have been
called "Dutch nightingales." In Scotland, too, they have a curious name,
Paddock or Puddick; but there is poetical authority for it:--
"The water-snake whom fish and paddocks feed,
With staring scales lies poisoned."--DRYDEN.
Returning from the University of Giessen, I brought with me about a
dozen green tree-frogs, which I had caught in the woods near the town.
The Germans call them _laub-frosch,_ or leaf-frog; they are most
difficult things to find, on account of their color so much resembling
the leaves on which they live. I have frequently heard one singing in a
small bush, and though I have searched carefully, have not been able to
find him: the only way is to remain quite quiet till he again begins his
song. After much ambush-work, at length I collected a dozen frogs and
put them in a bottle. I started at night on my homeward journey by the
diligence, and I put the bottle containing the frogs into the pocket
inside the diligence. My fellow-passengers were sleepy old smoke-dried
Germans: very little conversation took place, and after the first mile
every one settled himself to sleep, and soon all were snoring. I
suddenly awoke with a start, and found all the sleepers had been roused
at the same moment. On their sleepy faces were depicted fear and anger.
What had woke us all up so suddenly? The morning was just breaking, and
my frogs, though in the dark pocket of the coach, had found it out; and
with one accord, all twelve of them had begun their morning song. As if
at a given signal, they one and all of them began to croak as loud as
ever they could. The noise their united concert made, seemed, in the
closed compartment of the coach, quite deafening. Well might the Germans
look angry: they wanted to throw the frogs, bottle and all, out of the
window; but I gave the bottle a good shaking, and made the frogs keep
quiet. The Germans all went to sleep again, but I was obliged to remain
awake, to shake the frogs when they began to croak. It was lucky that I
did so, for they tried to begin their concert again two or three times.
These frogs came safely to Oxford; and the day after their arrival, a
stupid housemaid took off the top of the bottle to see what was inside;
one of the frogs croaked at that instant, and so frightened her that she
dared not put the cover on again. They all got loose in the garden,
where I believe the ducks ate them, for I never heard or saw them again.