224 REPTILES AND BATRACHIANS 



middle of the back. The upper parts are thickly covered all 

 over w^ith minute warts. The webs of the toes are short. 

 This toad, which is constantly being taken for the young 

 of other species, is found most commonly in oak forests. 

 Miss Dickerson states that after heavy rains the Oak Toads 

 resort in large numbers to shallow pools, where, although 

 difficult to see, they give notice of their presence by an 

 ear-splitting chorus of high-pitched sounds, not unlike 

 those produced by young birds. The individual call is, 

 it appears, like that of a quite young chicken in distress, 

 but much louder. 



The Giant Toad, B. marinus, which attains a length of 

 over half a foot, is very abundant in Southern and Central 

 America and the West Indies. The crown of the head is 

 covered with prominent bony ridges. The snout is short 

 and blunt ; the tympanum is small but distinct ; the 

 parotoid glands, which vary much in shape, are often 

 enormous and much swollen, and discharge like squirts 

 when the toad is irritated. The upper parts, which are 

 brown, immaculate, or with large dark spots, are covered 

 with a few irregular, sometimes spiny, warts. 



The breeding period begins with the rainy season, and 

 lasts three or four months. The transformation from the 

 tadpole to the perfect form is rapid, and the young toads 

 are only a quarter of an inch in length when they take to 

 land. This species, although occasionally refusing to feed 

 in confinement, will usually thrive in quite a small cage, 

 and does not require any very high temperature. 



The Cameroon Toad, B. superciliaris, a large toad, only 

 slightly inferior in size to the last-mentioned species, is 

 remarkable for having the eyelids much raised, and tri- 

 angular in shape. The upper parts are vividly coloured 



