AIVIPHIBIANS. 39 



BUFO AMEKICANUS L.e Conte. 



AMERICAN TOAD. 

 (PI. Ill a.) 



Description : liody sliort and (1e])resse(l. Head very broad, upper 

 jaw protruding' sliglitly and notched in the center. I^yes hi roe. 

 Pjirotid ghmds hir<;e and kidney sliaped. Fr(>nt()-i)aiMetal erests 

 extend back between the eyes and are joined at rii^hl an^h's by the 

 ])Ost-orbital crests Avhicli extend l»a(k of the eyes to a jjoint al)ove 

 the ears. Skin conspicnonsly warty above; nnder surface granu- 

 lated. Toes partly webbed. Two dark-colored metatarsal tubercles, 

 the outer small, the inner with a cutting edge. Jaws without teeth. 



Ground color varies from grayish to brownish black, with large 

 irrgular spots of dark brown which show more plainly on the speci- 

 mens which are lighter in color. There is frequently a light verte- 

 bral stripe. Under surface a dusky lemon color, S(jmetimes with 

 smaller irregular blotches of dark brown. Throat of male black. 



-^&' 



Measurements: Specimen No. 3011 '/- 



Length of head and bod}^ 0845 



Length of hind limb to heel 0505 



Width of head 032 



Hahits and Hahitat: The common American toad is our best 

 known amphibian. Tliis is due To its abundance and to tlie fact 

 that it is common in gardens and aronnd houses so tlmt it is fre- 

 quently seen. It a])pears witli tlie first warm s])ring days and is 

 found in shaded i)laces until fall. Axlien it burrows inio the ground 

 and hibernates until spring. It is nocturnal in iinbii, coming out 

 in the dusk of evening to search for food, which consists mostly of 

 insects and their larvae. During the day it sits in lis burrow, 

 which it makes by backing into the soft earth or (knise vegetation, 

 and sleeps. It is so protectively coloi*ed that it is usually very hard 

 to distinguish from the clods of earth or the background of parti- 

 ally shaded vegetation in its usual haunts. 



The i30pular belief that toads ar-e poisonous is erroneous. On 

 the contrary they are ver^' beneficial to man, since about 88% of 

 their food consists of garden pests. They may at times, especially 

 when roughlv handled, excrete a colorless, odorless and harmless 

 fluid from the skin, which makes them somewhat moist. There is 

 also an excretion from the parotid gland region, and this is slightly 



