ool, this
frog used to come out of his hole and seek a snug place near the
kitchen fire, where he would continue to bask and enjoy himself till
the servants retired to rest. And more curious still, this frog got
remarkably fond of a favourite old cat, and used to nestle under the
warm fur of Mrs. Pussy, she in the mean time showing she did not in
the least object to Mr. Frog's presence.

Both frogs and toads do a great deal of good by destroying quantities
of slugs and injurious insects; they are, moreover, perfectly
harmless. Some ignorant people, who love to destroy everything, insist
on killing frogs and toads; they say they eat the strawberries in
their gardens. Did you ever examine a frog's or a toad's tongue,
Willy? You never did; then I hope the next frog you catch you will
carefully open his mouth--treat him as if you loved him, as honest
Isaac Walton says--and give me some short account of the structure of
a frog's tongue. "All right, papa," said Willy, "I will bear the
matter in mind. It makes me laugh, though, to think of my examining a
frog's tongue; still I wonder what it is like, and I wish I could at
once catch a frog to see; but we are now again near home, and I must
wait for another walk."

[Illustration]

WALK IV.

MAY.

"Papa," said Willy, "you once told me of a very beautiful little
creature, almost too small to be seen by the naked eye, that lives in
water, and builds its house out of the small particles of clay or mud
that float therein. The bricks are not of the shape of house bricks,
but quite round. Do you not think we can find some of these animals in
the course of to-day's walk? I forget the name of the creature." I
know what you mean; you are speaking of a microscopic animal called
_Melicerta_. "Oh, yes, that is its name, now I remember." I have no
doubt we shall be able to obtain specimens from the canal; so we will
walk along the bank for a short distance and then get into the fields
again. We must take with us a clear wide-mouthed bottle, and we shall
soon see whether we have captured any specimens. These exquisite
little creatures attach themselves to the leaves and stems of
water-plants; they are most readily seen on the finely cut leaves of
the water-buttercup or spiked milfoil. The way to proceed is to place
a tuft of this plant in the bottle and to hold it up to the light, and
we shall soon see whether any Melicertae are there.

[Illustration: MELICERTA ON WEED.]

H