Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1947-09-09
This and That
BIZ Charles Il. TraceDeu.
- STREET Sc.

Dear Sir:
Last May 7 placed large tadpole in my
aquarium and have watched it ever since for
some sign of turning into frog but so far no
change has taken place.
"Tadpole is about inches long and is dark
green in color and has white stomach.
Gould anything be wrong with the tadpole,
or Is 1t too early for it to turn into frog?
Respectfully, p. A. B."
This correspondent has q bullfrog or green
frog tadpole.
These take from one year to two years to
convert into frog.
Mostly they require two years to make the
change.
The toad tadpole is the one which changes
in two or three months
Frog eggs are laid in jelly-like masses at ths
bottom of ponds.
The toad eggs are laid in strips Of jelly on
the surface Of the water.
The common toad eggs hatch In four or five
days, the real frog eggs in one or two weeks
X X
Mating season for the bullfrog is May to
July
The tadpoIes commonly sold may be either Of
toads or bullfrogs or green frogs.
Hence only an expert can tell which he has.
In general II the change Is completed IN a
few months the toad is it; II longer time is
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the making.
There are few more interesting creatures
for the home aquarium than these They In
trigue oldsters and young alike get along very
we'll with the other aquarium inmates, whether
small or large, and in general add touch OF
the unique.
Not more than one, or two at the most, should
be included And careful watch must be kept,
to see that when they begin to turn" they
have a place to get air. since the gills become
obsolete as the amphibian gets more typical
lungs.
There is the danger, too once the change be-
gins that the creature will hop out OF the
aquarium and be trodden under foot.
It must never be forgotten that this Is a
hopper, and naturally leaps out the first time
those legs get long, or even longer-hopp1ng Is
as natural to 1t as to a flea, and when it makes
its first real leap, there is no place for 1t TO
60 except out
In nature, it simply would leap onto a leaf,
on the shore, or back into the water, but from
the small aquarium it usually goes onto the
floor and there it may not be seen by persons
who are not looking for anything of its kind
there.
So watch out for taddie, when his big change
comes and see to 1t that he Is kept where he
belongs.
This means that some cover lid for the
aquarium Is necessary. This may be screen,
piece of glass; cut to At, or Of two pieces, cut SO
that they may slide apart in the center to per-
NIT the introduction Of fish food.
Such covers will not cut out air, even if they
fit tightly. It must be kept in mind that the
properly run aquarium is a little world of its
own, manufacturing its own oxygen.
Tadpoles are fed on manufactured fish food,
on which they do very we'll
1t is interesting to watch these strange
things become used to feeding time and to be
among the first to come to the surface.
They dart up with the fishes and get their
full share, and more, of the grub.
The tadpole in the average aquarium soon
comes to be universal household favorite, so
that no one wants it to leap out and be lost,
probably to be trod on or killed by cat or dog
So keep it in, but provide something for it
to perch on, once it gets It's legs. And when 1t
becomes too large, take it to pool or the creek.
for that is its natural place and 1t will do well
nowhere else.