THE NATTERJACK. 133 



are yellowish with black spots, and dark bands 

 occur on the legs. The warts with which the upper 

 portion of the body is studded are of a reddish 

 brown. In its habits it is far less sluggish than the 

 common toad, sometimes indulging in an extempore 

 run, and altogether is far more attractive. Mr. 

 W. R. Tate, from whom we have received specimens, 

 has, for some time, kept them in conjunction with 

 other reptiles. He says : " They always go in pairs, 

 and seem to be more delicate than the common 

 species, as mine scarcely ever enter the water in 

 cold weather, which the latter frequently do. I find 

 them most commonly on sunny days, where a pond 

 has nearly dried up. Mine are now tame enough to 

 eat out of my hand. Their food consists of worms and 

 insects, which they catch by their tongues in the 

 same way as the other species. Their croak is 

 hoarser than that of the toad. A person inhabiting 

 a disused semaphore, on a heath in Surrey, says 

 that they do great mischief in his garden by 

 digging their holes in the seed beds. These holes 

 are dug straight for a few inches, and then there is a 

 passage at right angles to the perpendicular one, in 

 which the creature lies. The men call them 

 ' Goldenbacks.' " 



In the eastern counties, where we are told that 

 this species is sufficiently common to be recognised 

 by the country people as distinct, it is called the 



