222 BUFONlDiE. 



toes, by darting, with lightning rapidity, its exsertiie 

 slimy tongue. Its movements on land are slow, 

 partly by crawling, partly by short leaps. In the 

 water, to which it resorts once a year for the 

 purpose of breeding, it proves no bad swimmer, 

 owing to the well-developed web of the feet. Its 

 intelligence is greater than that of any other Batra- 

 chian; in captivity it soon accommodates itself to its 

 surroundings, understands that a glass partition is 

 an obstacle, and, placed on a table, will not attempt 

 to jump off, whilst a frog will not hesitate to take a 

 leap from a fifth-story balcony. It is, therefore, easily 

 tamed, answering the call of its master to take food 

 from the hand, or flattening itself down to let him 

 stroke its back. A large Jersey specimen I kept for 

 twelve years, raised its head and came out of its place 

 of concealment when I knocked on the glass front of its 

 terrarium ; it did not evince the slightest timidity, — 

 in fact, liked beiug handled, "and was ever ready to 

 take food. In its excessive greediness it would swallow 

 so many large earthworms in succession that, after 

 a time, they were passed alive ; on two occasions it 

 disposed of whole litters of new-born mice. T. Bell 

 has recorded, on the authority of the Rev. John 

 Phillips, of Ninfield, Sussex, the curious case of a toad 

 attempting to swallow a viper. Although crepuscular, 

 this toad occasionally leaves its retreat in the day- 

 time, namely, during thunderstorms. Specimens are 

 also not infrequently met with in the daytime, crawling 

 about in great pain, with the snout or even the greater 

 part of the head a deep sore, swarming with dipterous 

 larvse. 



The question whether the flies that select toads for 

 the rearing: of their maggots constitute a distinct 

 form (Lucilia bufonivora, Moniez), like the Australian 

 llctrachom,yia, or not, has been much discussed among 

 entomologists, but I believe the balance of opinion 

 now is that various species resort to that host, on 

 which they are to be regarded as predatory, not 



