244 MONTANA EXPERIMENT STATION. 



the earth has become warmed, the toad emerges from its winter 

 quarters, and, during the warm hours of the day, makes its way to 

 some pool or stagnant water where it meets others of its kind. A 

 little later, their shrill cry, the mating call, may be heard. The eggs 

 of the toad and those of the frog may both be found in the same pool, 

 the former in long slimy strings, the latter in irregular masses. In 

 about four weeks the eggs hatch and the tadpoles, which at first 

 are very small and very numerous, feed on the vegetable detritus 

 and slime which are found on the bottom of the pond and attached 

 to weeds, sticks, etc. 



The tadpole has become full grown and has transformed to a 

 very small toad by about the first of August, in this climate. The 

 young toads leave the pond and scatter in all directions, keeping out 

 of sight because of their sensitiveness to heat except after showers 

 when the earth is cool and damp. 



Kirkland states that he removed 1279 ova from one average-sized 

 female which had already commenced laying. This statement indi- 

 cates great powers of multiplication in this animal. We have ob- 

 served, however, that a large proportion of the tadpoles never mature 

 into toads. 



For hibernating quarters the toad makes use of cavities under 

 rocks, in cellars, in rubbish heaps, etc. 



Both in summer and in winter the temperature of the amphi- 

 bian and reptilian body is about that of the surrounding air or water. 

 When the surrounding medium goes below certain temperatures, 

 the animal becomes torpid, stiff and may even freeze without injury. 

 If brought into a warm room such an animal soon becomes active 

 as in the summer only to return to the same stupor when returned 

 to the cold. That the physiological state of hibernation is not de- 

 pendent alone on a fall in temperature is shown by the fact that the 

 many animals go into hibernation long before the approach of cold 

 weather and, fvirther, by the fact that other animals hibernate in 

 warm weather durmg the period that their appropriate food is 

 scarce. Some animals, morever, are not aroused from their hiber- 

 nating torpor by being brought into a warm atmosphere. 



When roughly handled, the toad sercets from the wart-like pro- 

 jections on the back a milky fluid of a most offensive odor. That 



