THE AMPHIBIA, LIFE HISTORY AND HABITS 269 



Toads. The common toad is a much abused and little appre- 

 ciated member of society: he suffers from many false accusations 

 and his undeniably plain looks have obscured his many virtues. 

 To begin with, toads do not cause warts; they do not " rain down "; 

 they do not " eat their tails "; and they are never " found alive 

 in solid rock " as some newspaper scientists would have us 

 believe. 



On the other hand, the toad is a very useful and interesting 

 animal and makes a good pet. They destroy enormous numbers 

 of harmful insects, though we seldom see them in action as they 

 hunt at night, when their prey is abundant and their enemies, 

 the snakes, are asleep. So valuable is their service in insect de- 

 struction that in Europe toads are regularly for sale to gardeners 

 and others, to be turned loose in their premises to protect their 

 crops. 



They catch their food with the tongue, like the frog, but have 

 no teeth. Their rough skin and dull color are protective in their 

 resemblance to the earth in which they live. They can change 

 color somewhat to match their surroundings and also will play 

 dead, to escape observation. They never drink water, but absorb 

 it through the skin and may store considerable for use during 

 winter when they burrow in the earth and hibernate. It is this 

 stored water that toads sometimes eject when handled. 



They burrow rapidly backwards in a way hard to understand , but 

 very efficient and will bury themselves, in a few minutes, if the 

 ground be soft. 



They breed in water as do the frogs, but spend the rest of their 

 time on land. They also differ in other ways. The eggs are laid 

 in long strands, not in masses; the tadpoles are small and nearly 

 black and develop into toads at much smaller size than do frogs. 

 They emerge from the ponds in thousands when about the size of the 

 tip of your finger and it is these swarms of tiny toads that give 

 rise to the idea that they have come down in the rain. During 

 the breeding season they develop vocal powers of no mean extent, 

 their song being a rather sweet and bird-like trill. 



Their eyes are even more handsome than the frog's. Altogether, 



