Evening star., 1899-11-07
CANAOA'S MUSICAL FROGS
One of Them Mistaken for a Bird by a
Duke.
How "a Frog DisengaEes Itself From
Hook - Hunting by
FIashIiSht.



A novel sport suggested by the acquired
Canadian taste for a savory French dish is
frog hunting. There was recently such a
hunt in the pretty French-Can&dian village
of Des Aulnaies. near L1slet. Dark lanterns
and landing nets were the implements of
the chase. and those who participated in it
wore the long French-Canadian waterproof
moccasins often employed by American
anglers in Canada. The hunt took place on
the shallow edges of large marshy pool
shortly after n;ghtfall, and the. hunters
procured the best part of their quarry while
wading knee high in the water.
The pond resounded on every side with
the strange music Of the game The twaEg,
twang, of some of their number like the
lOng-drawn out vibration of the fingered
string of a bass Viol. mingled with the
Clack-um of the younger males and the
believing of their seniors, made strange
disccrds Not infrequently those who have
heard for the first time the calls of the ole
males have mistaken them for the roaring
OF a distant bull. 1t is this note which has
given to the Rama mugiens. the special va
riety employing it. its common name of
bulifrog- The French Canadians know it
as the warwdrCn. while all smaller frogs
both Of this and other varieties, are group
ed under the common French name gre
nOuIlleS- They have no warwarons in
France. and consequently no such word in
the dictionaries of the French language.
The edible frog of Europe is the Rama es-
culenta. which is unknown in America.
though the Rama palustris of Canada is
closely allied to it.
Flashing the Light.
Whenever the music of a frog was heard
in what seemed to be proximity to one of
the hunters he was instructed to flash the
light of his lantern in the direction whence
the sound proceeded and to trap the song
ster by a deXterous sweep of the net 1t
took a novice at the sport some little time
TO learn 10 judge from the utterances of the
frogs their distance, and even their di-
rectOn- When the glare of the lantern
was flashed directly upon a frog, upon a
partially submerged log. rock, a water
weed or a lily pad. effort was made to
entangle ii in the meshes of the net or to
FISH 1t up out Of the water when it leaped
from its perching place at the sight of the
net. As rule the frogs were so much
dazzled by the sudden flashing upon them
OF the light that they We're netted as easily
as Indians spear salmon by torchlight
Frequently the splashes of great frogs
jumping into the water We're heard by the
hunters before they saw them or heard
their peculiar melody. The members of
the hunting party enjoyed various meas
ures Of success. The smallest catch was
four and the largest eighteen. Later that
night the hunters sat down to a dainty SUD-
per, at which frog legs were served up in
the most approved style. Most of the party
were epicures and this dish was no novelty
to them. To those who had never at
tempted 1t before the experience was SINH
lar TO that of eating ones first oyster and
furnished no little amusement to their
companions.
The common practice of killing frogs in
Canada by those who hunt them as a busi-
ness for the market is to strike them with
sticks in the water upon its banks A
Japanese nobleman, who was lately at
Lake Edward or fishing expedition
amused himself by shooting the warwarous
with shotgun Instead Of having the legs
boiled or roasted and served up with white
sauce, as is usually done here. the gentle
frogs in butter.
An Ottawa angler describes yet another
method OF taking the bullfrog. Instead Of
hunting he simply fshed fo~ it. There. -
said the boatman TO the angler pointing
TO bullfrog idly basking in the sun among
some old decayed logs and debris near an
island far from the shore. Let him take
your fly"
'I'll try to hook him If you will take him
Off the angler replied.
Caught With Fly.
''All right. If he does not take himself off
! WILL" said the boatman
The angler let the fly down to the frog
who indolently caught it and into the boat
he was brought. No sooner had he touched
the bottom of the boat than he was off
the hook. The barb had evidently not
penetrated the skin. Rowing along the
angler soon sighted another and much
larger one AS this one took the fiy the
angler gave sharp up stroke of the rod
and landed him. too. in the boat Mr. Frog
deloerateiy sat up upon his hindquarters
and began handling the hook like a human
being. and in few moments he had freed
himself. - 'N
These bullfrogs are often taken in Canada
nearly IA foot long in the body alone and
New Brunswick man lately exhibitsd q
picture Of an extraordinarily large sneci-
men said to weigh fourteen pounds. The