52 



tongue from the mouth, and then withdrawing it with the insect sticking 

 to it. Besides insects, toads will eat eai'thworras, and small crustaceans, 

 while it is said that one attempted to swallow a wounded humming bird. 

 When the prey is large and difficult to swallow, the toad is said sometimes 

 to push it against the ground or a stone. One is described as pressing its 

 hand against its stomach, in order to hold down an earth worm that 

 threatened to escape. The toad is stated never to make leaps after its 

 prey, but to await until it has approached near enough to be reached by 

 the tongue. 



The warty skin of the toad is full of large glands, which secrete a 

 thick whitish fluid. This has very acrid properties, and doubtless serves 

 to render the animal unpalatable to most of its enemies. It does not 

 seem, however, to protect it from snakes. It is said that this secretion 

 will make the mouth of dogs sore, and even to cause some inflammation 

 of the human skin. This last is doubtful. The skin of the frog is shed 

 at intervals, and the statement has been made that this skin is immediately 

 swallowed. During the winter the toad hibernates in holes and in the 

 mud. 



Dr. J. A. Allen, of Cambridge, Mass., tells of some toads that were 

 taken in a torpid condition from the mud at the bottom of an old well. 

 Some of them were buried in the mud two feet deep, and he supposed 

 that they had been there ten or fifteen years, and probably longer. On 

 being taken out, they soon revived and hopped away. 



Family VIII. HYLID^. 



Upper jaw with teeth. Fingers and toes furnished with disks ; these 

 supported by the claw-like, terminal phalangeal bone. Transverse pro- 

 cess of sacrum expanded. Vertebrse procoelous. 



According to Prof. E. D. Cope, this family contains 183 species, and 

 these he includes in 18 genera. They are distributed in all the great 

 faunal regions. Of these genera, we have only three. 



Key to the Genera of Hylidce found in Indiana. 



Fingers without a web. Toes fully webbed. Digital disks small. 



Acris, p. 53. 

 Fingers Avebbed or not. Toes fully webbed. Digital disks larger. 



Hyla, p. 55. 

 Fingers not webbed. Toes with little or no web. Disks small. 



Choropkilus, p. 61. 



