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a toad which was accidentally killed when it was known to be 3^ years old. 

 Another acco'unt more interesting than realistic relates to toads fcand in 

 terra-cotta vases near Orsay, France, which according to tradition v/^^ro 

 dressod in green velvet by a sorceress, and vvorc thought to be 200 years old. 

 Stateraents which relate to toads being found sealed up in rocks or walls or 

 T/ithin cavities in living trees usually are inventions or can be cxplain^:d in 

 an entirely different manner from thu account given by the authors. Buckland 

 has conducted some careful experiments along this lino. Toads were coi-fined in 

 especially constructed cavities in blocks of limestone and sandstone, and 

 these blocks were buried three feet deep in the garden. The toads confined 

 with sandstone were found dead when the boxes were opened at the end of 13 

 months; those confined with liiriwstoae died before the end of two years. 

 Brooks has shown experimentally that a toad can live a year when sealed up 

 within a block of limestone. It is known that a toad can live for some time 

 without food, but the duration of an enforced period of starvation depends 

 largely on the teirrperaturo, that is, on whether or not the toad is kept in a 

 state of hibernation. 



poisonous SECEZTIONS OF TOADS 



In most toads the skin is covered with warts, which are more closely 

 aggregated on the sides of the neck than elsewhere, and these, together with a 

 pair of large glandular masses (the parotoid glands) situated behind the eyes, 

 secrete a milky poisonous fluid whenever the animal is molested. This se- 

 cretion protects the toad against most animals, but not against snakes or 

 birds of prey. Skunks are known to eat toads, but before doing so they arc 

 said to roll them about roughly with their paws until the poison has been 

 discharged from the glands and rubbed off. A dog may bite a toad once, but the 

 experience us-ually proves to be so disagreeable, becaugc of the effect on the 

 raucous membrane of the mouth, that he rarely can be induced to repeat the per- 

 formance. The secretion is an acrid irritant, causing pain in cuts and pro- 

 ducing a bitter astringent feeling in the mouth. Some writers believe the 

 female lacks this fluid during the brooding season while the mlc at the same 

 time has an ovor-ab-undant supply of it. 



According to Madame Phisalix, toads possoss two distinct types of glands, 

 which secrete venom of different properties, one typo producin;^' a mucous and the 

 other a granular venom. lliThilj the raucous glands are distributed over the en- 

 tire body, they are principally found on the abdomen. Tlio caicous secretion 

 produced is an alkaloid whicn acts as a narcotic, its effect being confined to 

 the norv^ centers. Glands situated on the back, together with the parotoids 

 behind the nock and connected with then, secrcto granular acid venom which 

 acts as a convulsive. 



Some of the frogs also produce these venoms in large quantities. Tlie 

 Choco Indians, at San Juan, Grenada, employ a vonon obtained froia Ph^llobates. 

 melanjrrhinu_s to poison their arrowheads. It is said tliat the Indiana of 

 Colonbia utilize the secretion of Dendrobates Unctorius for the same purpose. 

 The Indians have found a very easy way to sec-ore this poison. The anim-al is 

 held over a fire and the secretion is then scraped off. Suffici^-nt venom is 

 obtained to poison 5O arrows, and these are principally used for shooting 



