GARDEN ENEMIES 



among the shrubs and flowers, busily ridding 

 me of voracious worms and gnawing beetles. 

 Another friendly company of assistants 

 is to be found in the toads, frogs, and 

 snakes, especially the former. Like Charles 

 Dudley Warner, I should like to domesticate 

 a family of healthy toads on every square 

 rod of my garden, except the lettuce 

 patch. They would soon relieve me of all 

 responsibility in regard to the worms and 

 grubs within their reach. It is amusing to 

 feed a worm to a toad, and does not dis- 

 tress the worm in the least, if one may 

 judge by the serenity with which it views 

 its impending fate. One has it on the end 

 of a twig, and holds it directly in front of 

 the toad's eye. Toady either don't or won't 

 see it, but puts on an air of abstraction, as 

 if such a thing as a worm was entirely 

 beneath his notice. All at once he finds it 

 189 



