Identifier: reptilesbirdspo00figu (find matches)
Title: Reptiles and birds. A popular account of the various orders; with a description of the habits and economy of the most interesting.
Year: 1873 (1870s)
Authors: Figuier, Louis, 1819-1894 Gillmore, Parker
Subjects: Birds Reptiles
Publisher: New York : D. Appleton and Co.
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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envelops it, disengages itself and shoots forthinto the water—this is the tadpole in its earliest stage. The body of the tadpole at birth is oval in shape, destitute of legs,and terminates in a long flat tail, which forms a true fin; on eachside of the neck are two large gills, in shape like a plume of feathers;these gills soon begin to wither, without aquatic respiration ceasing,for, besides these, the tadpole possesses interior gills like those ofa fish. Soon after, the legs begin to show themselves, the hind legsappearing first; which acquire a considerable length before the forefeet show themselves. These are developed under the skin, whichthey pierce through. When the legs have appeared, the tail begins TADPOLES. 21 to fade, and, little by little, withers away, until in the perfect animalit entirely disappears. About the same time the lungs become de-veloped, and assume their functions. In Fig. 5 may be tracedthe successive phases of its transformation from the egg to the tad-
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Fig. 5.—Development of the Tadpole. I. Egg of the Frog. 2. The egg fecundated, and surrounded by its visicule. 3. Firsi state ofthe Tadpole. 4. Appearance of the breathing gills. 5. Their development. 6. Formationof the hind feet. 7. Formation of the fore feet, and decay of the gills. 8. Development ofthe lungs, and reduction of the tail, g. The perfect Frog. pole, till we finally reach the perfect Batrachian. Through theseadmirable modifications we see the fish little by little becoming aBatrachian. In order to follow this strange metamorphosis, itsuffices to gather some Frogs eggs, and place them with someaquatic herbs in an aquarium, or in a globe with gold and silverfish. It there constitutes a most interesting spectacle, and we 22 REPTILES AND BIRDS. advise our readers to give themselves this instructive and easy-lesson in natural history. At present there exist two species of Frog in Europe : the Greenor Edible Frog, and the Common Frog. The Green Frog is thatwhich we have des

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