Volume 2

Dissertations relative to the natural history of animals and vegetables / Translated from the Italian of the Abbe Spallanzani ... To which are added two letters from Mr. Bonnet to the author.

  • Spallanzani, Lazzaro, 1729-1799.
Date:
1784
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Dissertations relative to the natural history of animals and vegetables / Translated from the Italian of the Abbe Spallanzani ... To which are added two letters from Mr. Bonnet to the author. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Leeds Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Leeds Library.

    25/428 (page 17)
    CHAP. II. GENERATION OF THE TREE-FROG. - I * XX.TN this and the following chapters, I X diali be brief, and diali only, to ren- der the hiftory of thefe animals, defcribed in them, more compleat, make a few additions to Roefel's account, and notice fome miftakes into which he has fallen. The tree-frog is of very fmall fize. The back is of a very beautiful green colour. A v ifcid j uice, that oozes out from its feet,enables it to fatten itfelf to the fmoothett bodies. Du- ring the fine feafon, it fixes its abode upon trees, except in the fpring, when it defcends into ftagnant water, in order to propagate the fpecies. XXI. Though the male mounts upon the back' of the female, and embraces her very clofely, he does not, like the green aquatic frog, throw his arms round her thorax, but fattens his hands under her axillae. Hence the females efcape thole accidents that happen to the females of other fpecies, which are often killed before parturition, by the violent draining of the male, as appears from the contufions and lacerations upon the bread. XXII. The copulation of this fpecies con- tinues lbmetimes, according to Roefel, three whole days, though at others it is finished in one day. Thole which I obferved did not continue together more than a few hours. This difference I attribute to the warmer Vol II. C temperature