92 LETTERS TO MARCO xiv 



beneath the cover of some thick-growing 

 dwarf plant. The great characteristic of the 

 creature is its remarkable motionless waiting- 

 power. 



I am at a loss to account for the numbers 

 of frogs and toads in my garden, as I have no 

 stagnant pools or ponds in which these crea- 

 tures pass the first stage of their existence ; 

 and I can hardly believe the young tadpoles 

 could exist at all in the river itself, as, to say 

 nothing of the fish eating them, the floods 

 would inevitably sweep away any spawn that 

 was placed in it. Toads and frogs have a 

 power of exuding some sort of poison from 

 their bodies. This is done as a protection 

 from animals of prey. Dogs or cats will play 

 with frogs or toads with their paws, giving 

 them pats, but avoid taking them in their 

 mouths, drawing back from them suddenly 

 in a curious way. Frogs have to keep 

 themselves moist to be well, and they 

 carry a little supply of water in a pouch. 

 When suddenly attacked they discharge 



