They looked considerably alike , did these little cousins , for they were all pollywogs to begin with . Peter Rabbit came over every day to watch them . Always he had thought pollywogs just homely , wriggling things , not the least bit interesting , but since he had discovered how proud of them were Grandfather Frog and Old Mr. Toad , he had begun to wonder about them and then to watch them . `` There 's one thing about them , and that is they are not in danger the way any babies are , '' said Peter , talking to himself as is his way when there is no one else to talk to . Just then a funny little black pollywog wriggled into sight , and while Peter was watching him , a stout-jawed water-beetle suddenly rushed from among the water grass , seized the pollywog by his tail , and dragged him down . Peter stared . Could it be that that ugly-looking bug was as dangerous an enemy to the baby Toad as Reddy Fox is to a baby Rabbit ? He began to suspect so , and a little later he knew so , for there was that same little pollywog trying hard to swim and making bad work of it , because he had lost half of his long tail . That set Peter to watching sharper than ever , and presently he discovered that pollywogs have to keep their eyes open quite as much as do baby Rabbits , if they would live to grow up . There were several kinds of queer , ugly-looking bugs forever darting out at the wriggling pollywogs . Hungry-looking fish lay in wait for them , and Longlegs the Blue Heron seemed to have a special liking for them . But the pollywogs were spry , and seemed to have learned to watch out . They seemed to Peter to spend all their time swimming and eating and growing . They grew so fast that it seemed to him that he could almost see them grow . And just imagine how surprised Peter was to discover one day that that very pollywog which he had seen lose his tail had grown a new one . That puzzled Peter more than anything he had seen in a long time . `` Why , I could n't do that ! '' he exclaimed right out loud . `` Do what ? '' demanded Jerry Muskrat , who happened along just then .
`` Why , grow a new tail like that XXXXX , '' replied Peter , and told Jerry all that he had seen .
Fox Heron Longlegs Muskrat Peter Toad day pollywog pollywogs right