1 84 Life and Immortality. 



Strange to say, toads and frogs can change to some extent 

 the color of their skin to suit their homes. Kept in the 

 dark with dark surroundings, toads become darker in color, 

 while those that are kept in light with white accessories 

 become lighter. The color of the toad changes more slowly 

 than that of the frog. It is not the arrangement of the color 

 that alters, but merely a change from light to dark. 



What has been said applies to our Common American 

 Toad, the Bufo Americana of the books. Let us now look 

 at some curious specimens of the Bufonidae. The Pipa, or 

 Surinam Toad, does not lay her eggs in water, but places 

 them on her back. A fold of skin rises up and encloses 

 each egg in a separate cell, until the young have not only 

 been hatched, but have also passed through all their meta- 

 morphoses, and come out fully formed. Another toad, 

 abundant in Europe and Asia, is largely colored with bright 

 crimson, and the father-toad carries the little ones in sep- 

 arate cells fastened to his hind-legs like chains. The young 

 change to their perfect shape in these cells, and with the 

 withering away of the cells the young toads hop out, able to 

 take care of themselves. 



Somewhere I have said that toads are generally silent. 

 A little toad about three inches long, called a Natter-jack, 

 is common in England, and is a noted singer. His "gluck- 

 gluck, gluck-k-k," can be heard any night. The Green 

 Toad, well known on the Continent, is not so noisy as the 

 Natter-jack, but has a low, moaning cry. 



All the Tree-toads, or Hylidae, have clear, shrill voices, 

 and are fond of singing serenades. In the spring the Com- 

 mon Toad takes to the water and there sings very loudly. 

 The loud continuous trill that we hear in swamps in spring- 

 time is made by toads, and not by frogs, as is generally 

 believed. Another toad with a voice is the Spade-foot. This 

 Toad is rare, though widely distributed. It is remarkable 

 for its feet, formed for digging, its subterranean habits, and 

 its queer way of appearing and disappearing very suddenly. 



