168 NOTES BY THE WAY. 



started on his travels across the yard toward the lawn 

 in front. He leaped about three feet at a time, with 

 long pauses between each leap. For fear of losing 

 him as it grew darker, I captured him, and kept him 

 under the coal sieve till morning. He was very act- 

 ive at night trying to escape. In the morning, I 

 amused myself with him for some time in the kitchen. 

 I found he could adhere to a window-pane, but could 

 not ascend it; gradually his hold yielded, till he 

 sprang off on the casing. I observed that in sitting 

 upon the floor or upon the ground, he avoided bring- 

 ing his toes in contact with the surface, as if they 

 were too tender or delicate for such coarse uses, but 

 sat upon the hind part of his feet. Said toes had a 

 very bungling, awkward appearance at such times ; 

 they looked like hands, encased in gray, woolen 

 gloves much too large for them. Their round, flat- 

 tened ends, especially when not in use, have a com- 

 ically helpless look. 



After a while I let my prisoner escape into the 

 open air. The weather had grown much colder, and 

 there was a hint of coming frost. The toad took the 

 hint at once, and after hopping a few yards from the 

 door to the edge of a grassy bank, began to prepare 

 for winter. It was a curious proceeding. He went 

 into the ground backward, elbowing himself through 

 the turf with the sharp joints of his hind legs, and 

 going down in a spiral manner. His progress was 

 very slow ; at night I could still see him by lifting 

 he grass ; and as the weather changed again to warn 



