A HISTORY OF NORFOLK long existed in those localities, and from the loudness of its voice had gained the names, ' Whaddon organ ' and ' Dutch nightingale.' Sub- sequently it became known that the late Mr. George Berney of Morton Hall, near Norwich, had in 1837 brought from Brussels and Paris two hundred edible frogs and a large quantity of spawn, which he deposited in the meadows and ditches at Morton, Hockering and Foulden, Norfolk. In 1 841 he imported another lot from Brussels, and again, in 1842, others from St. Omar ; these were deposited in the same places and many hundreds in the fens at Foulden. In June, 1853, nothing having been heard of Mr. Berney's importations in the meantime, Professor Newton discovered a colony of these animals at Rockland All Saints ; again, in May, 1876, he rediscovered them in a pond at Stow Bedon after they had been searched for in vain in the former place. It might have been fairly assumed that these Norfolk colonies were descended from Mr. Berney's introduced frogs and were therefore of the French or Belgian form, which Mr. Boulenger distinguishes as Rana esculenta typica ; but that gentleman upon examining specimens from all three localities was surprised to find that though those from Foulden belonged to this form and doubtless owed their introduction to Mr. Berney, others obtained from Foulmere (Cambs.) and Stow Bedon (Norfolk) proved to be examples of a race abundant in Italy, which he names K. esculenta lessona, Camerano, and with regard to which it seems exceedingly difficult to imagine when, and under what circumstances, it could have been intro- duced here by man. The conclusion to which Mr. Boulenger arrives is as follows: ^ 'A great deal of discussion has taken place as to whether the edible frog is indigenous in England or introduced ; the balance of evidence seems to be in favour of the latter supposition, although we do not know when and by whom the Cambridgeshire and Stow Bedon colonies were imported. The fact that they belong to a race especially abundant in Italy, and formerly believed to be confined to that country, has suggested the idea that they may be of Italian origin, perhaps in- troduced by the monks.' However that may be, we have in Norfolk both the typical form introduced by Mr. Berney, and the Italian form of unknown origin. REPTILES 1. Common Lizard. Lacerta vivlpara, Jacq. worm.' The real glow-worm being called The common lizard is frequent on sandy '^e 'glaze-worm.' heaths, hedge-banks and dry places. Locally 3. Common or Ringed Snake. Tropidonotus known as the ' swift.' natrix, Linn. 2. Slow- worm. Anguis fragilis, Linn. The common or ringed snake is, although _, , . . not so common as formerly, still abundant in The slow-worm is not uncommon on dry ^^j^^^j^ localities. heaths and in woods, but shows a remarkable partiality for particular spots, where it may 4- Viper or Adder. Fipera herus, Linn. be looked for with tolerable certainty. It is The viper is frequent on heaths and waste known here in some districts as the 'glow- places.
- Tail/ess Batrachians of Europe, part ii. p. 287 : Ray Society, 1898.
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