THE COMMON lo.\h | •_>;• 



iing»room of thoaa troublesome Lnaooti doting laat lutninoi 



ln.lt •«•(! the notion occurred to me of const ranting a sort, oi 



of wire- work, and suspending it in the, centre oi the rOOXD, as is 



done witii the so-called •• i'i\ oatobai , ' believing that the en. 

 closed toad would be willing to make himself useful by appro 



Drlating the files that Settled oil the w ires, while \i.-itms 1. 1 



limited zoological attainments would be puzzled by the ntr t i)i ; /c 

 bird thus hang up. Some suuilar ai i an-eim-nt at Inched to a 

 window would materially rodoOO the number of IniOOtl 08 Hie 

 panel, It has been observed that they refuse to seize anything 

 that is nut in motion, and it ma\ bt added thai bhoj \\ ill at 1 at fa 



anything that if, proyided it li » ot boo larga bo bo iwallowed 



It would appear as if their ci(j,ht, or peihaps judgment, was very 

 defective, as the form or colour of an objt Ot K ems of no Import 

 iiuee, if only it moves. It need not. in the 1. rj i reaemblt anj 

 living creature, any small object in motion is regarded a,9 suit- 

 able prey. If the end of a pencil, 01 OttJ thing similar, is draw n 

 along the side of the vase which the toads Inhabit, they are 

 nearly sure to strike at it ; an1 not learning wisdom bj failure. 

 they will go at it again and again. One or two .-small tortoises 

 shared the same vase till the pOlt proved tOO much for their 

 constitutions, and if one of these put out its head with the, 

 intention of taking a slow " const ilufional," the movemt m. WM 

 pretty sure to attract the attention of t he nearest load, who 

 would place himself in a convenient pogttlon, Intentlj watching 

 his shelly companion, until the latter moved again, w h< i ■ . i > I . 

 would go the toad's bongnt upon hs head, which Ihe tortollf 

 would quickly draw back into the shell, not appearing bo rolUh 

 the unceremonious s;dide. Thli abfQrd scene, whieh 



frequent oooorrenoe, wai plainly owing to tba toad mlatal log 



the head of the tortoise for some insect, small tnongfa to be 

 swallowed. Although the toads refuse to strike at, a DSOttonleif 

 m |{ i it, they may be easily deceived, and induced to attack the 

 still object if motion is communicated In themselves, no doubt 

 thinking it is the object that moves, as a child in a railway 

 train fancies the houses and trees an- running i 1 ' In tbil 

 way I have often, when holding them to the window, made bbofe 

 strike at flies that were quite stationai j 



On one occasion, while canying the toad about, I noticed a 

 fly near tin- top of the door, and, presentine the rtptill to it, was 



