Analysis of the Island's soil and water has begun in an attempt to uncover what is causing the disappearance and deformities in Bermuda's toad and frog population.

Wytheville Community College's Donald Linzey has been on the Island for the past week with Blacksburg High School chemistry teacher Julie Grady.

The Virginia residents are trying to find out what is killing off the Island's amphibious population and frogs and toads in other parts of the world.

The frogs and toads have also been reported with physical abnormalities including unformed, additional and useless limbs.

Some frogs had deformed back legs which prevented them from jumping. In capture they died after very short periods of time.

The problem is not unique to Bermuda as similar cases have been reported in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan.

Dr. Linzey has studied the falling population and deformities of Bermuda's marine toads and two species of whistling frogs since 1995.

And the latest round of tests will try to determine what pesticides and heavy metals are present in the Island's soil and water. Samples have been taken and testing is under way back in Virginia.

Scientists there have already uncovered two chemical compounds which their chemists had not heard of.

They did not expect to find the substances and are presently trying to determine where they came from and how they got into the soil and water.

Ms Grady is helping with the research and has a student research programme set up at her school.

She said she hoped students involved in the programme would get involved with the testing for heavy metals in the soil, water and frog tissues.

Meanwhile Dr. Linzey is continuing to monitor the population and compare their numbers between seasons. Parasite and bacteria found on the amphibians are also being studied.

This trip has not been as successful as it could have been as the researchers were unable to track down any toads or frogs so there have been no specimens to study.

This raises particular concerns about one of the two species of whistling frogs on the Island which is already considered to be extinct as it has not been since July, 1994.

Dr. Linzey said he would be returning to the Island in August to work with Government Conservation Officer David Wingate in a concerted effort to find specimens after the amphibians have had a chance to breed.

The work is very expensive, he noted, and he thanked the Bermuda Museum, Aquarium and Zoo, the Bermuda Biological Station for Research, Butterfield and Vallis and the Bank of Bermuda for their assistance.

Anyone interested in helping Dr. Linzey and Ms Grady or learning more about their work can contact them at the Department of Biology at Wytheville Community College in Wytheville, Virginia, or at Blacksburg High School in Blacksburg, Virgina. Dr. Linzey can also be reached at 540-223-4824.