These English specimens are "olive-brown or bronzy-brown above, with black spots, strongly marked on the flanks, where a light longitudinal area remains unspotted; glandular folds lighter; the sides of the head and the ground colour of the flanks are sometimes green; tympanum chestnut-brown; a pale yellow or pale green vertebral line, frequently edged with black; the dark cross-bands on the limbs usually very irregular, sometimes absent; lower surfaces more or less profusely spotted with blackish; iris golden. Length of a male from Stow Bedon, 64 mm. or 2½ inches; of a female, 78 mm. or 3 inches."[119] 4. Var. _chinensis_, Osb.–Distinguished by short glandular folds along the back, in addition to the long dorso-lateral pair. The metatarsal tubercle is large and shovel-shaped. Distribution from Corea and Japan to Siam. All these Water-frogs are decidedly aquatic. They make short excursions on land when their homes are dried up, but as a rule they remain in the lake, pond, river, morass, or ditch in which they were born. Their favourite resorts are the broad floating leaves of water-plants, for instance water-lilies, or a prominent stone, a tussock of grass, or the banks of their homes, where they sit motionless, basking for hours in a half-erect, alert position, watching for insects and other small fry, which are secured by a jump, and then lapped up. Sunshine is sure to bring them out, and on our approach they make straight for the water, either by one tremendous leap or with quick bounds, but without the slightest hesitation or stopping on the way. With folded arms they take a header, swim, with the arms still folded, for some distance under water, and conceal themselves in the mud, between stones, or in the vegetation. We perhaps have not seen them at all, whilst their watchful eyes and keen ears have noticed our approach, and the pond might appear uninhabited if we had not heard the plumping noise. If we {268}keep quite still, and they have not been disturbed previously, one after another will wriggle out of the mud, rise slowly to the surface under cover of the plants, and, without causing a ripple, rise just enough for the prominent eyes and the nose to clear the surface. Then one scrambles partly on to a leaf, but the sight of the huge human figure strikes him as uncanny, as it certainly does not belong to the scenery, and he doubles back, the broadly-webbed feet making a little splash. But another appears, jumps on to a leaf in the middle, or at the farther end of the pond, settles down, and utters a little croak, somewhat like "ooaar," and soon the whole company appear one after another, each taking up its favourite position. After all, their observing powers cannot be very great. If we ourselves keep still we may wield a rod and fish for them. There is no need of a hook, a piece of red cloth tied to the end of the line and skimmed over the water causes a lively commotion. The new bait is noticed at once,