PEPACTON 



In the first place, the tree-toad is nocturnal in 

 its habits, like the common toad. By day it remains 

 motionless and concealed ; by night it is as alert 

 and active as an owl, feeding and moving about 

 from tree to tree. I have never known one to change 

 its position by day, and never knew one to fail to 

 do so by night. Last summer one was discovered 

 sitting against a window upon a climbing rose- 

 bush. The house had not been occupied for some 

 days, and when the curtain was drawn the toad 

 was discovered and closely observed. His light 

 gray color harmonized perfectly with the unpainted 

 woodwork of the house. During the day he never 

 moved a muscle, but next morning he was gone. 

 A friend of mine caught one, and placed it under 

 a tumbler on his table at night, leaving the edge 

 of the glass raised about the eighth of an inch to 

 admit the air. During the night he was awakened 

 by a strange sound in his room. Pat, pat, pat went 

 some object, now here, now there, among the fur- 

 niture, or upon the walls and doors. On investi- 

 gating the matter, he found that by some means 

 his tree-toad had escaped from under the glass, 

 and was leaping in a very lively manner about the 

 room, producing the sound he had heard when it 

 alighted upon the door, or wall, or other perpen- 

 dicular surface. 



The home of the tree-toad, I am convinced, is 

 usually a hollow limb or other cavity in the tree; 

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