Figure 1

The aesthetic beauty of a frog. Beautiful adult specimen of a Bufo arenarum, common frog (actually a toad) found in Argentina, especially in the Northwest, which we used frequently in our experimental exercises. Unfortunately, it is disappearing because of human carelessness. Below, the same animal after being "hypnotized" by gently scratching its belly (a typical response, mostly seen in the male). Students used to look with surprised eyes when I run this little demonstration while calling the girls' attention to the probability of being a bewitched prinz. Isn't it a beauty, doesn't it possess aesthetic content? Look at its gleaming eyes, besides, they are harmless ... and they can quickly catch a flying fly or mosquito. In Houston, Dr. Hoff used to make the same demonstration, to illustrate the humanitarian use of animals in the labs and also as an introduction to neurophysiology. Picture taken by MEV at his home, in Yerba Buena, Tucumán, when explaining this behavior to his grandson, Max IV (6 years old).