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THE NATURALL HISTORY OF THE FOURFOOTED BEASTS. (Book 4)
THE FOVRTH BOOKE. Of the Fourfooted Creatures that have toes, and spring of an Egge. (Book 4)
THE FIRST TITLE. Of the skined ones.
CHAPTER I. Of the Frog.
THus far of the Fourfooted beasts that bring forth li∣ving broods;* 1.1 those that lay egges follow. These are either skined, or shelled: Those that are covered with skin are the Frog, Lizard, Salmander, Chamaeleon, Croco∣dile, &c.
The Frog is either the water, or Land-frog. Called Rana,* 1.2 either from the summer-croaking ra, ra, or the Hebrew 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, that is, to cry out. In Greek Batrachos,* 1.3 from his shrill voyce, and Boox, &c. By the Cypriots Brouchetos; the Io∣nians Bathrakos; the Phocians Brianchone; by those of Pontus Babakos; by the late Greeks Bordakos, and Gurinos, and Brinoi, and Parphu∣sides, from their puffed-cheeks with croaking. It is an Amphilium, living both in water, and on land; afore not fleshy but behind; the hinder∣legs nature hath made thick, and longer the fore-legs. They have five toes long, skined between, to help their swimming. The Shee is biggest;* 1.4 they have no neck, the belly white, the tong, as infants tied afore, but loose by the throat,* 1.5 the milt small, the liver imparted into three laps,* 1.6 whereunder on each side part of the lungs is seen, frothy, not very bloudy; the guts knotly, the testicles, and other parts like those of other beasts.
In England are no green ones,* 1.7 but they abound in Germany, Italy, especially in Bono∣nia. They swarm so in the waterish places of Egypt, that they would destroy all, if the storks did not devour them. They are said to be dumb in the Island Seriphus, and Cyrene, perhaps because the water is cold. They are in streams, but delight in puddles where bul∣rushes, reeds, and sea-gras grows. They are ever found in the waters that never freeze, but not in brimstony, or mare-waters, they being too clammy. They eat any creature that swim,* 1.8 are greedy after Bees, & dead Moles. Probably they eat herbs also. The male covers the fe∣male, which layes egges after, and oft black flesh, with fair eyes, and tail, and after they get the Frogs shape, the tail being parted into two hinder-legs. Strange it is that after six months living they are indiscernably resolved into slime, and again reingendred in the spring puddles. But some in warmer waters last all winter, and in spring the old ones swim about. The egges are shed about the banks of pones, and marishes, hanging together as in a string, like black bits of flesh; Chymists call it sper∣mas, or spawn. They hate Storks, Swans, the Buzzard, the Salmander, Putter, Pike, Eel, and fire. Storks devour them. The Swan by eat∣ing them cures himself of a certain malady. They combate oft with Salamandres.* 1.9 It is well known how the Pike, and Eel swallow them. Kindle a fire by night on the banks where they are, they croke not, nor stir, you may easily take them in your hand.* 1.10 Their voyce is brekekex, koax, koax, croaking; Aristotle calls the noyse the hees make in coupling time ololygon,* 1.11 hurt them, they squeak like a mouse. About Cyrene they are mute. (But bring crokers thither they abide so.) In Seriphus also, and a certain lake of Thessaly they croke not;* 1.12 their flesh is loose, whitish, moyst, and subject to rot,* 1.13 so that they that oft eat them grow wan, and feverish: their lips are so close in August, that you can hardly open them; they ly with the