[Illustration: "HOW DO? I'M OFF."]
[Illustration: "EH?"]
[Illustration: "WHAT?"]
[Illustration: "WHO'S THAT?"]
[Illustration]

By-the-bye, some green frogs are blue. That is to say, individuals of
the green species have been found of the skyey colour and sold at a good
price as rarities. When it was not easy to find one already blue, the
prudent tradesman kept a green frog in a blue glass vase for a few
weeks, and brought it out as blue as you might wish. The colour stayed
long enough, as a rule, to admit of sale at a decent price, but was
liable to fade after. As I think I have said, the toad is distinguished
by a placid calm denied to the frog; therefore it is singular that the
ordinary toad's Latin name should be _Bufo vulgaris_--a name suggestive
of nothing so much as a low--disgracefully low--comedian. _Bufo
vulgaris_ should be the name of a very inferior, rowdy clown. The frog
is a much nearer approximation to this character than the toad. The frog
comes headlong with a bound, a bunch of legs and arms, with his "Here we
are again! Fine day to-morrow, wasn't it?" and goes off with another
bound, before the toad, who is gravely analyzing the metaphysical aspect
of nothing in particular, can open his eyes to look up. The toad has one
comic act, however, of infinitely greater humour than the bouncing
buffooneries of the frog. When the toad casts his skin he quietly rolls
it up over his back and head, just as a man skins off a close-fitting
jersey. Once having drawn it well over his nose, however, he immediately
proceeds to cram it down his throat with both hands, and so it finally
disappears. Now, this is a performance of genuine and grotesque humour,
which it is worth keeping a toad to see.