1. Here is a strange-looking creature—the frog. At first sight we would say that it is entirely unlike all the animals we have studied; but let us look a little closer.
2. We see that, like all the others, this little friend of ours has a body with a head, four limbs, two eyes, two ears, a nose, and a mouth.
3. But how curious it is in form! Its body is short and round; its head is set on to its body without any neck; and its limbs are placed on its sides, so that it can not stand, but only squat.
4. It has large staring eyes, that can look about on all sides; and when it opens its mouth its whole head seems to split apart.
5. It has webbed feet, and can swim well in the water. It has no teeth, but lives upon grubs and flies and other insects.
Frog's Head, showing tongue.
6. When a fly comes within reach, the frog does not jump at it, but just darts out its long tongue, covered with slime, so quickly that the fly is caught before it has time to stir.
7. It lives both upon land and in the water. When in the water, it can open and shut its webbed feet like a fan, and so can swim rapidly.