AMPHIBIANS. 219 



warty protuberances on the Toad's skin; these secrete 

 an acrid, milky, fluid, which is only slightly irritating 

 to the human skin, but tastes so disagreeable that any 

 animal or bird that seizes a Toad, drops it again immedi- 

 ately. This fluid has a sulphury odour and exudes from 

 the pores when the toad is excited in any way. Many 

 are the curious ideas current about this humble creature, 

 such as : that when angry it spits venom at its enemy ; 

 that it will live for hundreds of years enclosed in a solid 

 block of stone ; that it carries a jewel in its head an 

 idea perpetuated by Shakespeare. It is hardly necessary 

 to say that all these notions are equally unfounded. In 

 its habits and mode of feeding the Toad resembles the 

 Frog, but is of a more sluggish disposition, and it crawls 

 over the ground instead of leaping. It has been seen to 

 eat earthworms, not taking them with the tongue, but 

 seizing one by the middle between its jaws and gulping 

 it down by a series of jerks ; the worm meanwhile 

 struggling to escape, " the toad thrusting it back all the 

 time, and forcing it down its throat by the aid of its 

 fore-feet." When intent on taking its prey, the Toad 

 only shows by its attitude, and by a slight twitching of 

 the hind-toes, that it is on the alert ; it always waits till 

 the insect moves, thus showing that it is alive ; then out 

 darts the Toad's tongue, and the insect is gone ! So 

 rapid is the whole action that the eye fails to detect any 

 movement at all. The Toad will never eat anything 

 that it supposes to be dead. It casts its skin more than 

 once a year, generally rolling it up and swallowing it like 

 a big pill. Except in the spawning season, the Toad is 

 not nearly so partial to water as the Frog ; usually it 

 lurks beneath stones, etc., during the day, and only 



