Bufonidae 



consists of repeatedly opening the mouth widely and expanding 

 the body so that the loosened skin (which is split at the posterior 

 end and along the back) is forced slightly forward, then shutting 

 the mouth. By this method the skin is gradually sucked and 

 dragged into the mouth at the angles of the jaws. The toad 

 sometimes uses the front feet as hands to help him get the skin 

 down from over the eyes. 



This method of sucking the skin in at the angles of the jaws 

 might eventually remove the whole skin if it were not for the 

 obstacles presented by the legs and arms. The hind legs are re- 

 moved from their coverings by bringing them forward under the 

 toad and pulling them backward, rubbing them forcibly against 

 the body. This is done in just the manner in which we might 

 remove the arm from its sleeve, provided we had no other hand to 

 help. However, the problem is rendered much less difficult by 

 the fact that the skin of the leg and foot splits on the under side 

 almost to the tip of the longest toe. (Fig. 46.) The skin of the foot 

 is sometimes turned wrong side out during the process, but more 

 often it remains in its usual position. 



After the toad has removed the back legs from their coats 

 and has dragged into the mouth as much as possible of the freed 

 skin, he has so far completed the moulting that the hind parts 

 are all free and the old skin, much wrinkled and plainly showing the 

 warts on its surface, lies in a dark thick band extending from the 

 angles of the mouth around the upper parts of the arms. In fact, 

 strange as it may seem, that part of the skin which covers the 

 throat and arms and is nearest the mouth is the last part of the 

 skin to be shed. A few more vigorous efforts on the part of the 

 toad, and the skin slips off the hands, the black bands of skin are 

 pulled into the mouth and the process is over. The skin is 

 pulled off the arms with little difficulty, because the splitting 

 extends from the line across the breast out under the arms to the 

 base of the first finger. The skin of the hands is usually turned 

 wrong side out in the process. 



Certainly, the easiest way of completing the process seems 

 to be to swallow the skin which has gradually been accumulated 

 under the tongue. Occasionally the skin is swallowed as it is 

 shed, in two long black cords extending down the throat from the 

 corners of the mouth so that the skin that covers the feet is already 

 in the stomach before the skin of the hands is shed. If the skin 



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