[Illustration: "THINK I COULD MANAGE THAT BEETLE, TYRRELL?"]
[Illustration: EVIL COMMUNICATIONS.]

Why one should speak of the Adorned Ceratophrys when the thing might
just as well be called the Barking Frog, I don't know. Let us compromise
and call him the Adorned C., in the manner of Mr. Wemmick. I respect the
Adorned C. almost as much as if he were a toad instead of a frog, but
chiefly I admire his mouth. A crocodile has a very respectable
mouth--when it separates its jaws it opens its head. But when the
Adorned C. smiles he opens out his entire anatomical bag of tricks--
comes as near bisecting himself indeed as may be; opens, in short, like
a Gladstone bag. From a fat person, of course, you expect a broad,
genial smile; but you are doubly gratified when you find it extending
all round him. That, you feel, is indeed no end of a smile--and that is
the smile of the Adorned C.

[Illustration]
[Illustration: "DON'T SQUEEZE SO, TYRRELL!"]
[Illustration: "WANT ME TO BARK?"]
[Illustration: "HE CALLS THIS WINDING ME UP!"]
[Illustration: "SHAN'T BARK--"]
[Illustration: "SO THERE!"]
[Illustration: "STOW THAT, TYRRELL!"]
[Illustration: "HE'S ALWAYS DOING THAT."]
[Illustration: "I'LL GET SO WILD IN A MINUTE!"]
[Illustration: "GUR-R-R-R-."]
[Illustration: "WOW, WOW!"]
[Illustration: "SNAP! WOW-WOW!"]
[Illustration: "WHAT, GOT TO GO BACK?"]