The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-28
The bagpipers of Cress Creek gave con-

the level were rejected upon the SKY anu
sent pale reflex illumination down upon
the bagpipers' concert hall. The evening
star lamped it radiantly, and the occa-
sionaI hoarse blasts of the steam whistles
on the bay ferries sounded up the heights
like faint bassoon interjection through
the bagpipes' higher tones. Sometimes,
too, in the pauses of the chorus, caught
the exquisite notes of thrush from the
willows, trilling his evening song to his
mate. There was conversation on the bal
cony, where the professor discussed the
true basis of wealth. but upon all his wise
observations the bagpipers kept up con-
tinuous vocal comment, for all the world
like Greek chorus. Who knows, indeed
but that this was the original Greek
chorus? Did not Aristophanes himself
find these bagpipers most useful and inter-
esting dramatis persona?
Our bagpipers are neither more nor less
than a colony of frogs, that have their
abode in the title pool into which Cress
Greek widens Just by the willow tree. Even
now, though the sun is still sending his
last red beams aslant across Tamalpais,
they have begun their evening serenade. I
can see them ranged around the edge of
the pool, each one with his nose toward
shore and each one putting out a huge,
transparent bubble quite as large as him
self, which is his bagpipe and which he is
blowing for dear life, anxious not to be out
vocalized by any one of his brethren.
It is amazing how big a noise can issue
from so small a source. Any one of these
small green pipers could find comfortable
seat upon a silver dime, but he can make
such a din as might well cause the walls of
L. IL H.
noiSe-nature' sounds are seldom unpleas-
ant-but there are times when listening TO
it one feels that he is getting great deal
of pork for a shilling.
Some one told me recently in perfect
good faith that the frogs produced their
peculiar, shrill music by rubbing their
hind feet together. Absurd as this theory
sounds, l have found it to be a not uncom-
mon misconception. 1t doubtless arises
from half knowledge regarding the COM
mon house cricket, which produces his
familiar shrilling through a peculiar ar
rangement of his wings. The vocal. organ
of the frog, however, is this transparent
bubble to which have alluded. 1t is at
tached on the inner surface of the cheek
and is distended with air in the act of
croaking. 1.-THE Dutch Nightingale" this
amphibious sOngster is called abroad, and
the name is suggestive.
But our frog is an interesting fellow aside
from his curious bagpiping habit. To the
evOlutlonist he is of interest as illustrating
In his small, squat person a whole series
OF evolutionary processes. What evolution
teaches has taken place through changing
ages in the upbuilding of our earth we
may watch for ourselves in the develop
ment of the frog. He begins life as true
fish, he has an intermediate stage of ex-
lstence as a newt, and becomes an air
breathing handwriting creature.
Now all this happens because of certain
laws that, lacking a better term, we call
heredity. Modern science teaches US that
the embryo of any creature passes
through the various stages of development
through which the order that the creature
belongs to has passed. The condi-
tons surrounding development, how
ever, are such that we cannot
watch the process with all species
as we can in the case of the frog Do YOU
begin to see why our tiny bagpiper is inter
esting2 Science tells US that the vertebrate
order, of which man is the elimination,
began with the fishes. They are lowest in
the scale of vertebrate life. Feet, wings,
hands, they have none; they breathe
through gills, the oxygen in the water
purifying their blood directly without the
Intervention of lung action. They Law
eggs. There are a few fishes whose
young are born alive, but only
few. Now between the fishes and the
land animals come these grotesque crea-
lures called amphibians, of which our frog
is the type. There is, however, a
series of steps leading upward from
the fish to the frog. There are
curious life-forms, such as the water
dogs, the nevis and Salamanders, and that
queer "what is it" of amphibia the mud
fish, that serve to connect the frog with
fish life, just as the lizards, crocodiles,
turtles and snakes carry the scale on to
higher vertebrate forms.
Every child knows the tadpole, but not
so familiar to most observers is the mass
of transparent, jelly-like substance, dotted
with black specks, to be found in our way
side pools and bitches. Each of these
black specks is a frogs egg and the sur
rounding mass is merely the gelatinous en-
velope in which the eggs are held. 1t be-
gins to decompose in the water long before
the eggs are Matched, and the puffy bulk is
made up of the gases of decomposition.
Within the egg the embryo frog grows I'M
til it is strong enough to burst its cell and
then appear in public. 1t is now polly
wog, beloved of childhood. It is really as
true fish as swims. 1t breathes through
gills, it has fish heart, that is with only
two cavities or chambers. 1t is not only
a fish, but is related to one particular kind
of fish. Its anatomical structure is exactly
analogous to that most ancient of fishes,
the lamprey whose fatal effect upon Brit
ish royalty is known to every schoolboy
By and by the tadpole begins to undergo
further change. The heart develops into
the three-chambered heart of the reptile ::
the gills are drawn in and lungs begin to
develop. Then appear first the hind legs.
then the fore, and the creature is of the
newt type, air-breathing, with four legs
and long tail. Now, if it does not look
out something dreadful happens to it. 1t
cannot get about in the water SO fast as
can its relatives, the tadpoles, and the
latter are very apt to eat it up.
In this way a pondful of tadpoles
have been known to devour each other after
the lamentable example of the famous
crew of the Nancy Jane, until there was
but one survivor to continue the traditions
of froghood. The survivors in due time
lose their tails. not, as is popularity sup
posed, by shedding them, but by absorb
ing them, and presently hop upon the
land, full perfect frogs.
There are many varieties of the species.
These bagpipers of Cress Creek are a very
common variety with pretty green and black
backs and yellow Threats. There are three
of them in the middle of the pool
engaged in game of leap frog. l
drop a stone on the water, and presto
They have disappeared! You must look
closely to detect them, fat in the mud,
hardly to be distinguished from the
1aorac Of he uo,,Dn