51 



Fron to-parietal crests diverging toward back of bead, and passing souie- 

 ■wbat beyond tbe postorbitals. The latter crests short; preorbital not 

 strong ; no supra-tympanic. Heel reaching the front of the orbit. Our 

 common form. americanus. 



Fronto-parietals diverging toward back of head, passing beyond the 

 postorbitals and expanding into a pair of knobs ; supra-tympanic well 

 developed. Head from snout to ends of crests contained in length to 

 vent 3.5 to 4 times. Southern. lentiginosus. 



The common toad in its various forms has an extremely wide distribu* 

 tion, being know'n to occupy the whole of eastern North America, west 

 to Montana, Arizona, and Mexico, In Indiana the variety americanus is 

 everywhere distributed. The variety lentiginosus has not been reported 

 from any locality within the State, but may be looked for in the extreme 

 southern portion. The variety foivleri is known principally from speci- 

 mens found at Danvers, Mass., but Prof. Cope reports a specimen from 

 New Harmony. (See 51, 279.) 



The toad is with us an extremely common animal. It is almost a 

 synonym for ugliness, but its mild and inoffensive disposition has gained 

 for it some degree of toleration. Nevertheless, it still suffers much per- 

 secution, chiefly at the hands of untaught and thoughtless or cruel boys. 



The toad appears in the spring when the warm days have fully come, 

 and it is seen until the approach of the cool days of the autumn. Soon 

 after emerging from its winter retreat, it repairs to the water for the pur- 

 pose of depositing its eggs. These are laid, not as those of the common 

 frog, in a shapeless mass, but in a long string, consisting of a double 

 series of eggs enveloped in a tube of gelatinous materials. Mr. E. E. 

 Crosby {22, vii, 574) says that the eggs of two specimens numbered re- 

 spectively 8,840 and 2,200. Prof. Cope states that the young hatch early 

 and are of a darker hue than is usual with other Salientia, but it is difficult 

 to see how they can be blacker than the larv!3e of Rana pipiens. The 

 length of the young mature toads is about one-half inch ; the color gray- 

 ish, with small dark-colored spots. The metamorphosis occurs about 

 July 10. The notes of the male toad are heard principally during the 

 breeding season. They may be represented by the syllables ur-r-r-r-r. 



The habits of the toad are mostly noctural, although it is not uncom- 

 mon to see a toad hopping about in the daylight. Usually, however, they 

 hide away during the day in holes and obscure corners, and come forth at 

 evening to seek their food. This consists mainly of insects, and of these 

 enormous numbers are devoured. It is related (S^, '73, 23) that one old 

 toad ate at one time twenty-three squash bugs, and on the top of these, 

 ninety-four caterpillars. On account of this propensity for devouring in- 

 sects, intelligent gardeners and farmers seek to induce toads to take up 

 their residence on their grounds. No boy should be permitted to destroy 

 this harmless animal. The prey is taken by suddenly projecting the 



