Democratic Sentinel, Volume 20, Number 16, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 April 1896 — THE BAROMETER FROG. [ARTICLE]

THE BAROMETER FROG.

A Croature Which Tells You What the Weather Will Be. New York has a frog that is a weathei prophet,and he follows the ups and downs of the mercury with unfailing regularity. This frog, which is probably the only one of its kind in America, was recently Imported from Germany. It is known commonly as the "barometer frog." Its present home is in the office of Dr. W. S. Berkmann. on Third avenue. This peculiar faculty for forecasting the weather is an accredited scientific fact. The encyclopedia defines this curious visitor as a “batrachian reptile of the tailless order, embracing the group of phanero-glosses found in Central Germany.” The weather frog has been comfortably installed for the last two weeks in a glass globe. There is a rocky island In the midst of the watery ocean contained in the glass globe. When the barometer is a set fair, the frog suns himself u[»on this rock. He devours enormous quantities of roaches, purchased by the bagful and fed to him by his owner. When the small boys in the neighborhood fail to collect a sufficient number of these delicate and ' toothsome morsels, which the batrach- j ian dec-lares to be superior in quality to anything in his native swamps, a tine beefsteak, chopped tine, keeps his i majesty alive. So far. his digestion has not been known to interfere with the ’ prompt i>erformance of his duties as weather prophet to the population of southern Third avenue.

The weather frog is a comparatively rare animal. It has not taken long for his fame to spread, and a great number of visitors have found it necessary to pay a visit to the dentist for the pleasure of listening to the mournful voice which comes in soul-stirring chords from the deep, solid red chest. If that green-backed,-red-chested and brown-throated bactrachian is fanning himself on the summit of the island upon a fine Saturday afternoon visitors go away rejoicing. It will be a fine and perhaps hot Sunday. On the other hand, should the frog slide into the ■water and begin to sink, though the sun may be shining that day, they know it will rain ere morning. If the frog drops quickly, they look out for squalls. If he remains persistently at the bottom, it is an augury of long-continued rain or disagreeable weather. The movements of this long-legged reptile are so carefully adjusted to the small variations of the weather that it has been suggested to his owner that a graduated glass introduced into the globe would give daily readings which might be posted outside the building for the public benefit. Dr. Berkmann has watched his movements very closely during the past fortnight, and is prepared to say that he compares mote than favorably with the man on Broadway. It has been suggested to him that it is not right to keep his weather prophet hidden at the bottom of a tank in a dentist’s office, but should request the government to appoint the frog to the Weather Bureau as an adjunct to the present official staff. The weather frog is valued at $25 — a price at which it is not likely to become popular in this country. His hind legs are abnormally long, and his front legs exceedingly short. lie is slow in motion, but makes up for any deficiencies in this way by being extremely sensitive to sound. lie can hoar the approach of an enemy even if he has not the ability to get out of the way very quickly. As for his voice, it is unlike anything heard even in the bullfrog region, and must be listened to carefully before a musician can form any estimate of its beauty.