74 INSECTS INJURIOUS TO FRUIT. 



without being angry, because he sometimes eats strawberries, you may find a great 

 deal of amusement in him. I have seen animals go backwards into their burrows, 

 but except the Toad, I have never seen any make their burrows backwards. Find 

 one a little belated in the early morning confront him, and watch sharply as if you 

 suspected lie had been eating strawberries or lady-bugs, and his eyes will begin to 

 wink and blink ; soon his head will be averted, as if he were ashamed, but all this 

 time he will be settling away, going down as a canal boat doeg -in a lock ; his hind 

 feet have been throwing out the earth from under him, reminding you of the descrip- 

 tion of the first steamboat " a grist-mill afloat, with the water getting out from 

 under." 



Toads are fond of strawberry beds. The partial burrow beneath and the broud 

 leaves of the Hoveys above ; the hosts of insects and the ripening fruit around 

 make such a residence comfortable. I know a little girl who is a great lover of fruit. 

 She watches the strawberries. Some very large ones are taken in the hand in the 

 evening turned all round and carefully examined but not being quite ripe are 

 allowed to remain. In the morning they are gone. She asks me why? I say it is 

 hard to know what has been in the garden in the night. Near by is a mutilated 

 strawberry ; the mark of a bite is plainly to be seen, and close by, under a broad leaf, 

 I observe something like the eye of a Toad a crescent-shaped streak of white just 

 disappearing. Could that concave wound in the strawberry be brought into juxta- 

 position with the convex mouth of that Toad, there would probably be found a 

 remarkable adaptation between the two ; but nothing is said about it. This little 

 girl is old enough to appreciate strawberries, but not old enough to appreciate Toads. 



When I was young I was told that if I killed the Toads the cows would give 

 bloody milk. Children in the country are fond of milk, and the fear of such a 

 catastrophe saved the Toads. 



The Toad, like the Snake, sheds his skin once a year, but the manner of doing 

 it is very different. The snake contrives to start his akin near the head, and then by 

 drawing himself through some tight place strips it off skins himself the cast-off 

 garment being left for collectors of curiosities. The Toad works at his with his 

 mouth, first taking off the coat, then the pants, and eats them both. 



It may be asked, what has all this to do with the Curculio ? Although I 

 have often found different species of this beetle in the stomach of the Toad, the fore- 

 going notes are more appropriate here, in connexion with the doctrine of compensa- 

 tion the mixture of goc^d and evil in this life. 



May 16. Tried my Plum trees this afternoon for Curculios, but found none. 

 These trees are in a city garden, and have now been jarred several times. Were the 



