The common frog . opponens of the thumbis smaller and weaker than in man. Though the footof man is furnished with many muscles, like the hand,yet not one of the toes is provided with an opponensor muscle, passing from the bones of the ankle to oneor other of the bones of the middle of the foot, whichlatier are called metatarsals. The same is the casewith the apes, except that the Orang-utan has asmall opponens attached to the great tee. This being premised, the foot of the Frog may wellexcite surprise as to its rich muscular structure. In /cu4^ ^ -t2 d THE COMMON FROG. 107 ,^<K additi
The common frog . opponens of the thumbis smaller and weaker than in man. Though the footof man is furnished with many muscles, like the hand,yet not one of the toes is provided with an opponensor muscle, passing from the bones of the ankle to oneor other of the bones of the middle of the foot, whichlatier are called metatarsals. The same is the casewith the apes, except that the Orang-utan has asmall opponens attached to the great tee. This being premised, the foot of the Frog may wellexcite surprise as to its rich muscular structure. In /cu4^ ^ -t2 d THE COMMON FROG. 107 ,^<K addition to very numerous other muscles on bothsurfaces, every one of the toes is provided with aseparate opponens muscle, each having a musclewhich passes from the bones of the ankle to itsmiddle foot bone or metatarsal. The question naturally occurs on beholding- thisprodigality of muscles—What special purpose isserved by the Frogs foot ? Surely mere jumping andswimming cannot require so elaborate an apparatus. acLU. Fig. 68. —Deep muscles of exor surface of Frogs hind foot. (The numbers indicate. the digits to which the muscles belong.—No i indicating the first digit or greattoe.) , abductors ; ad, adductor ; //, flexor brevis \/p flexores profundi; fph,flexores phalangium : op, opponens juuscles ; /;;/, transverse muscles. In fact, however, the Frog does make use of hisfeet for a purpose requiring actions no less dexterousand delicate than nest-building. io8 THE COMMON FROG. [chap. In 1872 Dr. Giinther observed a Frog busily occu-pied, and industriously moving its hind legs in asingular manner. On approaching closely he foundit had constructed for itself a shelter in the shape ofa little bower, formed of dexterously interwovenblades of grass. The circumstances have been kindlytransmitted to the author by the observer, in a privateletter, as follows :—- The nest-building Frog was a large example ofRana temporaria or cscidenta (I forget which), which Ihad brought into th
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, bookpublisherlondo, bookyear1874
