THE PRESENT STATUS AND BREEDING 

 SEASON OF THE GIANT TOAD (BUFO 

 AGUA) IN BARBADOS, ST. VIN- 

 CENT, TRINIDAD AND 

 DEMERARA.* 



Not long ago a question arose regarding the 

 present status, and breeding season, of the Giant 

 Toad (Bufo agua) in certain of the West Indian 

 colonies, and in order to secure definite data on the 

 subject I wrote to Barbados, St. Vincent, Trinidad 

 and Demerara (British Guiana), receiving the fol- 

 lowing replies: 



Barbados. — No mention of the occurrence of this 

 toad (known locally as the "crapaud") is made either 

 by Ligon (1673) or Hughes (1750). Schomburg in 

 his "History of Barbados," published in 1848, in- 

 cludes it in his list of reptiles on page 679, with the 

 following note: "I have been assured that this spe- 

 cies, which is so common in Demerara, was introduced 

 from there about fifteen years ago [i.e., about 1833]." 



It is not known exactly when it was introduced 

 into Antigua. It is now very common both on Bar- 

 bados and Antigua, though on both islands it has 

 become less numerous in recent years, owing probably 

 to the introduction of the mongoose, which seems to 

 prey upon the toad when pressed by hunger. 



It certainly lays its eggs at least twice a year. In 

 August last year (1914) ponds in Barbados were full 

 of tadpoles, and again in February this year (1915) 

 the same thing was noticed. (Extract from a letter 

 from Dr. Francis Watts, C.M.G., Imperial Commis- 

 sioner of Agriculture for the West Indies, Bridge- 

 town, Barbados.) 



St. Vincent. — The large toad (Bufo agua) 

 seems to be quite extinct here. I hear old people 

 speak of them, but I fancy the mongoose must have 



♦Published with the Permission of the Secretary of the Smith- 

 sonian Institution. 



