THE AQUARIUM BULLETIN 



19 



will soon calm down and become 

 accustomed to its terrarium, and some 

 specimens I have had became so tame 

 that they took worms, beetles and 

 grasshoppers from my hand. Their 

 gentleness, bright, alert manner and 

 readiness to take food whenever 

 offered, makes them most interesting 

 pets. The Fowler's Toad will usually 

 try very hard to escape, upon first 

 being caught — and will work un- 

 ceasingly, seeking an exit to its prison. 



The males are more persistent in 

 their efforts than the females, and 

 will often injure themselves during 

 their frantic struggles. Of all lowly 

 creatures, the toads are the most use- 

 ful, and it has been ascertained that 

 they destroy countless numbers of in- 

 jurious insects. I have fed 120 potato 

 bugs to one large American toad — the 

 toad voiding the contents of its 

 stomach several times only partly 

 digested as a result of this continu- 

 ous meal, but without abatement of its 

 appetite. I have seen several Fowler's 

 Toads near a garbage pile, sitting in 

 a half circle around a bone, licking up 

 the flies as fast as they alighted. In 

 our garden I have watched one of an 

 evening, stalking a slow moving slug 

 — finally gobbling him down before he 

 reached the lettuce bed. At night 

 they come toward the screen doors 

 through wdiich the light shines — and 

 where the harvest of mosquitoes, 

 beetles and moths is particularly rich. 



Many people do not like toads on 

 account of their sup])Osed ugliness. I 

 cannot for the world of me, see any- 

 thing ugly in a toad — in fact they 

 remind me very much of little bull 

 dogs with their beautiful bright 

 golden eyes, short pug-face, stout 

 body and strong muscular limbs. 



Their usual pose when active is a 

 bold upright position, which enhances 



the similarity with a dog squatting on 

 its haunches. The tongue is fastened 

 in front of the mouth and is snapped 

 out with lightening rapidity at any- 

 thing which looks like food for the 

 toad. Sometimes a beetle with a 

 strong acrid smell, such as a bom- 

 bardier beetle or other ground beetle 

 is eaten, but immediately disgorged, 

 and it is well that this happens, as 

 all these beetles are useful, either as 

 scavengers or as hunters of cater- 

 pillars, and other soft bodied insect 

 pests. The toad looks ludicrous, as 

 he tries to wnpe the bad taste from 

 his mouth ; often shutting his eyes 

 and making other signs of discomfort 

 and disgust. 



*Photos bv E. R. Sanborn, N. Y. Zoological 

 Park. 



Line Breeding 



By C. E. Visel 



Line breeding may be an experi- 

 ment to the aquarist, but is an 

 established fact well known and 

 regularly practiced in connection with 

 live stock, birds, etc., and just so, it 

 is that fish fanciers will not line breed 

 to nicrely produce "just fish," but if 

 they are going to stay in the game, 

 they must produce specimens worthy 

 of consideration. 



Most fanciers in their early days 

 seem to think that they stand no 

 chance of breeding prize-winners, 

 because they are not able to spend 

 fabulous sums to purchase the style 

 bred stock which may have won 

 ribbons, certificates, etc., but we have 

 knowledge of two breeders today 

 who own ]^rize-winning stock, the 

 parents of which cost less than $2.00 

 each. 



W'e prefer to believe that this was 

 not an accident, but the result of care- 

 ful studv in line breeding. The 



