14 



In ninety days (a period selected because May, June, and July rep- 

 resent the time of the toad's greatest activity) it would destroy 360 

 beneficial insects (ground beetles) and 9,720 injurious or noxious 

 insects. Take the single item of cutworms. These insects are preyed 

 upon by ground beetles. Let us assume that the ground beetles, if 

 spared, would have succeeded in capturing 10 per cent of the cut- 

 worms. This would leave a net balance of 1,011 cutworms to the toad's 

 credit. Many gardeners give theip children one cent apiece for each 

 cutworm found and destroj^ed, considering this a low estimate of the 

 damage caused by the insects. Even at this nominal figure, without 

 considering the importance of the destruction of other injurious 

 insects, the toad's services on this one item would figure $19.41. 



NATURAL ENEMIES OF THE TOAD. 



The toad suffers from enemies both natural and unnatural. Of those 

 provided by Nature a few internal parasites are sometimes found, 

 while hawks, owls, crows, snakes, and skunks yearly destroy large 

 numbers. The marsh hawk kills a great man}'^ toads during the spawn- 

 ing season, while hens, ducks, geese, and guinea fowls feed on the 

 young toads as they migrate from the breeding pools. 



It is perhaps the irony of fate that large numbers of the toad should 

 be killed annually by man, the one most benefited by its life. Lawn 

 mowers work great slaughter among them, while the practice of burn- 

 ing over lawns and fields kills more. The killing of toads in this way 

 is largely unnecessary and the extra labor involved in protecting their 

 lives Avill be more than repaid by their services. 



The heaviest charge of wrongdoing must be entered against the 

 small boy, ubiquitous, inquisitive, and often thoughtlessl}' cruel. In 

 a case coming under the writer's notice two boj^s in one afternoon 

 established the disreputable record of 17 dead and mutilated toads 

 captured at a breeding pool. Such a wanton and expensive exhibition 

 of cruelty may be unique, but it is certain that thousands of toads are 

 killed in this way annually, and this practice will continue until our 

 boys are taught to recognize the value of the toad and to respect its 

 rights. Laws protect our insectivorous birds as well as others whose 

 worth to man is, to say the least, a debatable question. The toad's 

 worth is an established fact. Should it not receive a similar protection ? 



HOW THE TOAD MAY BE MADE USEFUL. 



Elsewhere reference has been made to the strong homing instinct of 

 the toad. This makes it diflicult to establish toad colonies unless the 

 animals are brought from a considerable distance. It is said that 

 English gardeners often pay as high as $25 ^er hundred for toads for 

 colonizing purposes. That such a procedure is sometimes successful 



