THE COMMON TOAD. 125 



open, straight along his back. Now, said I, old fellow, you have 

 done it; but he appeared to be unconcerned, and kept on 

 rubbing until he had worked all his skin into folds on his sides 

 and hips ; then, grasping one hind leg with both his hands, he 

 hauled off one leg of his pants the same as anybody would, then 

 stripped the other hind leg ia the same way. He then took this 

 cast-off cuticle forward, between his fore legs, into his mouth, 

 and swallowed it ; then, by raising and lowering his head, 

 swallowing as his head came down, he stripped off the skin 

 underneath, until it came to his fore legs, and then grasping one 

 of these with the opposite hand, by considerable pulling, 

 stripped off the skin ; changing hands, he stripped the other, 

 and, by a slight motion of the head, and all the while swallow- 

 ing, he drew it from the neck and swallowed the whole. The 

 operation seemed an agreeable one, and occupied but a short 

 time.* 



Professor Bell, in his " British Eeptiles," gives a 

 similar account to the above, upon the faith of his 

 own observations. As the toad generally retires 

 into his private apartments to undress himself, and 

 dispose of his old clothes, opportunities for observ- 

 ing the process do not often occur. 



As we never kept toads in confinement long 

 together, for the purpose of observing their traits of 

 character, we have been obliged, as our readers will 

 have observed, to draw pretty freely from the experi- 

 ences of our friends. This we have preferred doing 

 in their own language, at the risk of all imputation 

 of " scissors and paste," rather than rob those of 

 honour " to whom honour is due." 



* New York Independent, Dec. 29, 1859. 



