A history of British reptiles / By Thomas Bell.

  • Thomas Bell
Date:
1849
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A history of British reptiles / By Thomas Bell. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Its existence as a British species was first recorded in the “ Zoologist,” in the following notice from Mr. Bond, dated November, 1848 —‘‘ I have the pleasure of recording in the ‘Zoologist’ the capture of the Edible Frog {^Rana esculenta^ Linn.) for the first time, I believe, in this country. Two specimens were taken by my friend, 0. Thurnall, Esq., of Duxford, in Foulmire Fen, Cambridge- shire, in September last.” Shortly afterwards a charac- teristic figure was published in the same work; and subsequently I received some specimens myself from Mr. Bond, which I had an opportunity of comparing and iden- tifying with the continental species, having then in my possession many living ones, which I had received from France. Mr. Bond relates, in a farther notice in the same work,f that they were very abundant in that locality, and expresses his surprise “ that they were never seen before, their croaking being so very different from that of the com- mon frog; the sound is more of a loud snore, exactly like that of the barn owl {Striio flammea). The whole fen was quite in a charm with their song.” Mr. Bond proceeds to say, that “ this Frog is a very timid animal, disappearing on the least alarm, and it is not very easy to catch. It seems to be entirely a water reptile, never coming on the land ; at least, I never could find one out of the water, like the common species.” The very remarkable and sono- rous croak belonging to this species had procured for the Frogs of this neighbourhood the names of “ Cambridge- shire nightingales,” and of “ Whaddon organs;” and I have often heard my father, who was a native of those parts, say that the croak of the frogs there was so differ- ent from that of others, that he thought they must be * Zoologist, vol. ii. p. .393. + Page 677.
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