Tadpole

It lives in fresh water, among the reeds, the algae, the ducks, the waterlilies. In these algae and among still other things which are in the water, it protects itself. But in places like ponds it dies, dies of cold. Its food is mud and very small water-living insects. It is black, big-bellied, thick-bellied, stiff-necked, streaky-tailed, flat-tailed. It is good-tasting, edible; what one deserves.

They shrunk a frog and cut it in half and attached a Thing to it and called it a baby???

used to catch these as a kid