i86 JUNGLE FOLK 



lightning rapidity. In other words, the toad's tongue 

 is just a fly-paper, capable of the most perfect mani- 

 pulation. The unsuspecting insect is resting, and hears 

 not the silent approach of its enemy. Suddenly it is 

 caught up by a great sticky tentacle, then comes 

 oblivion. The toad's tongue has shot forth and back 

 again so quickly as to be imperceptible to the human 

 eye. 



The lizard obtains its food in a similar way. It 

 enters the bungalow and lies up during the day behind 

 a picture. As soon as the lamps are lighted it comes 

 forth as hungry as the proverbial hunter. In a single 

 night it devours hundreds of insects. I have watched a 

 lizard feeding in this way until he had consumed so 

 many insects that he could scarcely move : and doubt- 

 less he would have continued his gluttonous meal but 

 for the fact that he had become as slow as Mark Twain's 

 jumping frog after it had partaken copiously of shot ! 

 The lizard cannot shoot out his tongue to the extent 

 that the frog can, so he has to make a dash at each 

 insect before swallowing, and, to his credit, it must be 

 said that he rarely lets a victim escape him unless, of 

 course, he has over-eaten himself. 



Although I am very fond of the nimble little gecko, 

 I must admit that he is an out-and-out glutton. Some- 

 times his gluttony leads him to try to capture quarry 

 beyond his capacity. Let me relate an amusing little 

 incident that I recently witnessed. The scene was my 

 dressing-table, and the time 9 p.m. in the month of 

 August ; the day I forget. It matters not. A large 

 stag-beetle was crawling laboriously across the dressing- 



