MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 495 



t ion may be found regarding the poison of the toad. Pinches and linnets 

 inoculated with it will die in about five or six minutes. Even dogs and goats, 

 under whose skin small portions of the poison arc injected, usually die in less 

 than an hour, the excitement which is produced in the first instance being fol- 

 lowed by depression, vomiting, convulsions, and death. This poison is fatal to 

 frogs, even if only placed upon the back of these animals, but on the toads 

 themselves it has no action. A dog, as is known, will seldom attack a toad a 

 second time, and some have been known to be killed by simply biting one. 



Dr. Lennard Guthrey states that the attack of his own dog on a toad was 

 followed instantaneously by the most profuse salivation, violent vomiting, and 

 subsequent collapse. He also states that the secretion has, in the case of some 

 persons, a powerful action on the human skin. He relates that, after carrying 

 a toad in his hand for some distance, he himself experienced a most disagree- 

 able sensation of numbness and tingling in the fingers and palms of his hands, 

 which became swollen, stiff, and extremely dry — a condition which remained 

 for some hours ; and he says he had heard that German violinists, when suffer- 

 ing from moist hands, are accustomed to check the perspiration by handling 

 live toads. 



It may interest our readers to know that toads are found in all parts of the 

 world except Madagascar, Australia, New Guinea, and the Pacific Islands. Mr. 

 Boulanger informs us that ninety distinct species of toads, constituting the 

 genus Bafo of naturalists, are known. They extend from the sea coast to an 

 elevation of 15,000 ft. in India, at which height the common Natter Jack was 

 found by Stoliczka. Mr. Boulanger, in his valuable monograph on the reptiles 

 of India, records that the common Indian species, B. melanostidus, ascends 

 the Himalayas to a height of 10,000 ft. In Europe two species are found. One 

 is the common toad {Bafo vulgaris), which in this country is about 3^ in. in 

 length, but which becomes much larger in the warm countries in the south of 

 Europe ; specimens from the Morea are said occasionally to measure lOin. in 

 length. This species is found all over Europe, in Great Britain, but not in 

 Ireland. The other European toad is the Natter Jack (B. halamita,); this may 

 generally be distinguished by* a bright yellow line running down the middle of 

 the back. It is found in drier situations than the common species. It occurs 

 in some of the heaths near London, is said to be present in a few localities in 

 the south-west of Ireland, and is abundant in Italy and Sardinia. I presume, 

 therefore, that it is the species which Dr. Brunton says is more poisonous in 

 Italy than in colder cbmates. 



It is to be remarked that scientific men, although prone to dogmatise, are 

 not necessarily wiser than the rest of the world. Fleming, in his well-known 

 History of British Animals, maintains that the toad is destitute of any venom- 

 ous quality, and is only despised, hated and persecuted by the ignorant ; and 

 he remai-ks that it is surprising that prejudices so unjustifiable still continue to 

 prevail. 



