27 



y auts {Campunotiix peinisylvcun'cus) . 

 6 cutworms. 



5 myriapods (Jidxs sp?). 



6 sow bugs {PorceUio sp?). 

 1 weevil (Hyiohins pcde.s) . 



1 carabid beetle (Pterostichus sp?). 



As previously stated, in tweuty-four hours the toad consumes an 

 amount of food equal to that required to fill the stomach four times. 

 A toad feeding at this rate upon the same kinds of food and in the 

 same proportions as in the case cited would devour in the three 

 months of May, June, and July the following" (piantitics of food : 

 3,312 ants, 2,208 cut worms, 1,840 myriapods, 2,208 sow bugs, 

 368 weevils and 368 carabids. Or in other words, in the three 

 months a toad would consume 368 beneficial insects and 9,936 inju- 

 rious insects, myriapods, etc. 



To properly estimate the financial equivalent of the damage and 

 annoyance that might be caused by these insects would be a difficult 

 and unsatisfactory task, since data for the calculation must be of an 

 arbitrary nature. If we confine our attention to but one element of 

 the food, the cutworms, we reach some very interesting results. 

 If we assume that ten per cent of these insects, eaten by a toad feed- 

 ing under the given conditions, would have been killed by the cara- 

 bid beetles which the toad also devours, w^e still have the destruction 

 of 1,988 cutworms to place to the toad's credit. If the damage the 

 cut worms would have caused be estimated at one cent per 

 worm, a figure which gardeners and tobacco growers will prob- 

 ably consider ridiculously low, we find that in one season a toad might 

 destroy cutworms which otherwise would have damaged crops to the 

 extent of S19.88. 



HOW THE TOAD MAY BE MADE USEFUL. 



To all agriculturists the toad renders conspicuous service, but gar- 

 deners and greenhouse owners may make this animal of especial 

 value. Every gardener should aim to keep a colony of toads among 

 his growing crops and the practice of collecting and transferring 

 them to the gardens is a commendable one. While the sense of 

 locality is strong in this batrachian and it will often return over 

 considerable distances to its original haunts, yet it may be induced 

 to remain in new quarters if there is a sufficient food supply. Many 



