26 



this wonderful story of a toad's life will join the crows, the snakes and 

 the salamanders in worrying or destroying their good friends. 



Moulting and Hibernation. 



There are two very interesting things that happen in the life of 

 many of the lower animals ; they happen to the toad also. These are 

 moulting, or change of skin, and hibernation or winter sleep. Every 

 boy and girl ought to know about these, and then, if on the lookout, 

 they will sometime be seen. 



Moultin^:^. — Probably everybody who lives in the country has seen 

 a snake's skin without any snake in it. It is often very perfect. 

 ^Vhen the outside skin or cuticle of a snake or a toad gets old and 

 dry or too tight for it, a new covering grows underneath, and the old 

 one is shed. This is a very interesting performance, but the toad 

 usually does it in a retired place, so it is not often seen. Those who 

 have seen it say that a long crack or tear appears along the back and 

 in front. The toad keeps moving and wriggling to loosen the old 

 cuticle. This peels the cuticle off the sides. Now to get it off the 

 legs and feet, the toad puts its leg under its arm, or front leg, and in 

 that way pulls off the old skin as if it were a stocking. But when the 

 front legs are to be stripped, the mouth is used as is sometimes done 

 by people in pulling off their gloves. Do you think it uses its teeth 

 for this purpose ? You might look in a toad's mouth sometime and 

 then you would know. 



It is said that when the skin is finally pulled off the toad swallows 

 it. This is probably true in some cases, at least it is worth while 

 keeping watch for. After a toad has shed its old skin, he looks a 

 great deal brighter and cleaner than before, as if he had just got a 

 new suit of clothes. If you see one with a particularly bright skin 

 you will now know what it means. 



Hibernation. — The toad is a cold-blooded animal. This means that 

 the temperature of its blood is nearly like that of the surrounding air. 

 Men, horses, cows, dogs, etc., are said to be warm-blooded, for their 

 blood is warm and of about the same temperature whether the sur- 

 rounding air is cold or hot. 



When the air is too cool the toad gets stupid and inactive. In 

 September and October, a few toads may be .seen on warm days (^ 



