24 



of such habits that their (.lestruction is a matter attended witli con- 

 siderable difficulty and it is as a destroN^er of cut worms that the 

 toad renders the most important service to the agriculturist. 



The evidence in regard to tlie economic value of the toad may be 

 thus summarized : — 



1. It (lestroj's carahid l)celles. 

 insects of a highly l)t'iit'fi(-ial tliarac- 

 tor. 



2. It. (ievonrs an occasional ich- 

 neninon tly and " lady hirti ". hene- 

 flcial insfcts. 



3. It feeds to a small extent on 

 spiders, generally considered to be 

 valnable as insect destroyers. 



4. It devonrs carrion beetles, 

 insects indirectly helpfnl to man. 



1. It feeds on worms, snails and 

 sow bngs, common greenhouse 

 pests. 



2. It devonrs a large number of 

 myriapods which damage green- 

 house and garden plants. 



:>. It feeds to some extent on 

 grasshoppers and crickets. 



4. It destroys lar^ie (juantities of 

 ants, insects often injurious and 

 usually obnoxious. 



.5. It consumes a considerable 

 (piantity of May beetles, Rose 

 chafers, " click beetles ", potato 

 beetles, cucumber beetles and wee- 

 \ ils, all more or less injurious to 

 crops of various kinds. 



C. It feeds on tent caterpillars, 

 gypsy moths and other fruit tree 

 pests. 



7. It is a i^rimc destroyer of 

 cut, worms and army worms, com- 

 mon pests wiiich. often cause great 

 damage. 

 To recapitulate, eleven per cent of the toad's food is composed of 

 insects and spiders beneficial or indirectly helpful to man ; eighty- 

 per cent, of insects and other animals directly injurious to culti- 

 vated crops or in other ways obnoxious to man. Farther comment 

 upon tlie valuable services of the toad would seem unnecessary. 



LI.ST OF INSECTS FOUND IN TIIK STOMACHS EXAMINED. 



The following list includes a part of the species fouinl in the 

 stomachs. In many cases, particularly with lepidopterous larvae, 

 specific or even generic identifications could only be made of a lim- 

 ited proportion of the whole number of insects present. Since the 

 toad swallows its food intact, a large pait of the hai-d-lxKlicd insects 

 could be identified. 



