Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-09-18
FACTS ABOUT FROGS
The Edible Varieties, Their Devel-
opment and : characteristics.
FRENCHMEN NOT ALONE FROG EATERS
The United States Consumes More
Than the European Republic.
A CANADIAN FROG FARM

1t is a common error on this side of the
| Atlantic. and If the truth may be told on
the other side as well, that the French are
a nation Of frog eaters. When Johnny
Crapaud goes anywhere on the face of the
| earth where foreign immigration is not
regarded with emotions of pleasure he is
| pretty apt to be publicly designated as a
| "frog-eating Frenchman" before he gets
| acclimated. The fact is that the annual
consumption of frogs in the United States
is ten times that In France, and they are
mere generally consumed here than IN any
| other country on earth.
| To the Frenchman belongs the bonor-the
| astronomical glory, indeed-of rediscover-
ing the epicurean delights that are de-
| veloped by a close acquaintance with the
| broiled hind legs of frog. The Romans
| used to eat them along with fricasees of
| nightingales' tongues and other sLch sub
stantials, but the French modernized the
custom and first awaited themselves of the
| dainty delicacy. OF course a prejudice
| formerly existed against frogs articles
| of food. Their uncanny appearance their
supposed utilization with witches and other
| awful things, and their potency in eXercis-
Ing spells in love affairs. all initiated
against their introduction into the cuisine
| of well-regulated families, but they finally
hoped up on Frenchrnan's table, and
| then went on triumphant to the storuachs of
the rest of the world. There is a very inter-
| esting chapter in the forthcoming volume
| TO be issued under the direction of United
| States Fish Commissioner Brice on THE
Edible Frogs of the United States and
| Their Artificial Propagation" 1t was con-
tributed to the valuable work which will
| be entitled THE Manual of Fish Culture"
| by F. NJ. Chamberlain, assistant at the fish
commission in Washington. A perusal of
Mr. Chamberlain's statements will be found
| most interesting to every reader, and to
| those who want to go into the business of
| incubating it will prove simply invaluable.
Mr.. Chamberlain says that the frogs are
| representatives of the great class of cold
| blooded vertebrates known the Batra-
| CHA. The batrachians are intermediate
anatomically and physiologically between
| the fishes and the reptiles: first cousins, for
instance, to the shad, salmon, Goldfish and
Spanish mackerel, and equally consanguine
with the snakes and alligators and all
those charming things.
Chcckered Career.
The frog has a checkered career before
| he reaches the adult period Of his exist
| ence. When starting out he is aquatic-but
everybody has seen a tadpole-and breathes
| by means of gills. Then he gets lungs and
his tail feathers change into hind legs
| which he can use very successfully either
for swimming or leaplng purposes. 1t need
not affect any ones appetite to learn that
| the tree frogs are closely related to edible
| frogs, because toadstools are full-blood rel
atives of mushrooms which fact doesn't
properly broiled. Besides, and like the
mushroom family again, there are over
go species of true frogs, and of these in
the United States there are not over
twenty edible kinds.
There is no longer any question about
the recognized value of frog meat for food.
1t is white. delicate, palatable. Commonly
OILY the hind legs are eaten, but in some
Realities fle entire hDdv minus q Wis
cera, is fried with eggs and bread crumbs
and-well, try it, and then keep yourself
broke continuing the pastime!
According to inquiries of the United
States fish commission the annual catch
for the market is about 1.OOO,0J0. More
frogs are eaten in New York than in any
paratively small size they are not SO val
liable the Missouri and California frogs.
In taking frogs lines baited with red
cloth, worms or insects are extensively
used, ard guns, small-bore rifles and
spears are also employed. Crossbows are
adopted in Canada. Hunting at night
is favorite pursuit, lantern furnishing
light for the hunters aim and also binding
and Supplying the frogs.
Prices received for frogs greatly vary.
Dressed legs yield the hunters from 121s
to 80 cents pound. and live frogs from
8 cents to 81 a dozen, the latter being the
case in San Francisco. The unrestricted
hunting of frogs has threatened their prac-
teal extinction. marked decrease
OI the supply mas Deen ALREADY observed
in the marshes of Lake Erie in northern
New York. and in order to meet the in
creasing demand for the legs hundreds
of people are experimenting or preparing
to engage n frog culture. Frequent in
quiries are received by the United States
fish commission concerning frog culture
and 1t Is said to be evident that the num-
Der of salable frogs in given area can
be largely increased by artificial means
To undertake essential work in this line
however. knowledge of the natural his
tory of tie frog is essential 1t is also
interesting to those who merely want to
eat them.
Habits of the Frog.
Frogs hibernate. burying themselves in
the mud at the approach of cold weather
At the close of winter they announce their |
temperance with resonant voices In
some species the song is distinctly chant |
d'amouf; in others it is continued long
after the breeding season is over. fe- |
male frog lays several hundred eggs, the
process of oviposition continuing through
several days. They are fertilzed by the |
n ale during that time. In from four to
thirty days, according to temperature the |
tadpoles wriggle out from the eggs. A I
bullfrog tadpole In shallow, old. SUM-
warmed pond will sometimes attain
length of several inches before his two |
bird legs begin to protrude, and this may |
occur in two months or not until two years. /
Sc, ual maturity is reached in three or four /
fifteen or even twenty years. But from /
tadpole juvenflity to seniie. .old age they |
are never out of danger. AS tadpoles they /
are simply pie for fish and other frogs, and /
later they are steadily pursued by wading /
birds. such as cranes, herons, etc.
The species of frogs commonly eaten are /
the bullfrog: the green frog, the spring /
freq and the western bullfross. The most /
widely distributed is the spring frog. shad /
frog, or leopard frog. 1t is most abundant |
in the eastern states. 1t reaches length |
OF 31s inches exclusive of its legs. The col
or is usually bright green marked by ir- /
regular black. dark brown or olive blotches,
having whitish or yellowfsh edges. The un-
der surface is whitish or light yellow, and /
unspotted.
The green frog is found throughout the /
stern and central states. The body and /
legs are stout and massive. The color
above is dark olive. posteriorly running
into brilliant green anteriorly. It is some
times greenish brown above with small
brown spots. This frog is especially
aquatic, not hunting Oh land, AMI is soli-
tary in its habits. living singly or in pairs,
but never in large companies.
Different Varieties.
The common bullfrog is the largest of