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farmers provide toads with artificial slielters made by digging 

 shallow lioles in the ground and partially covering them witli a bit of 

 board or flat stone. In such places toads will often remain for many 

 days, sallying fortli at night to seek food. 



In greenhouses the toad may be made of particular value as a 

 destroyer of snails, sow bugs, myriapods, cut worms and weevils. 

 According to Dr. Ritzema Bos, "in the research garden attached to 

 the Rouen entomological laboratory the snails were entirely extermi- 

 nated in 1891 as a result of introducing one hundred toads and ninety 

 frogs." In a greenhouse at Maiden, Massachusetts, a number of 

 valuable orchids were nearly ruined through the attacks of myriapods 

 and sow bugs. The gardener introduced a number of toads and in a 

 few weeks the pests had nearly disappeared and alldaimage from that 

 source ceased. A common pest in rose-houses and one that is 

 increasing in spread and damage, is Fuller's rose beetle (Aramigus 

 fulleri). While this species has never been identified in the stom- 

 achs examined, yet from the common occurrence of other weevils in 

 the stomachs there can be no doubt but that toads confined in rose- 

 houses would render material aid in destroying this insect. It would 

 be necessary to jar the beetles from the bushes at intervals when the 

 toads would doubtless devour the greater part of the weevils falling 

 to the ground. 



NATURAL KNKMIES. 



The crow and various species of hawks and owls are the chief 

 natural enemies of the toad. According to Prof . W. B. Barrows,* 

 " it is certain that crows consume large numbers of toads and frogs." 

 Examinations made by him of the stomachs of a large number of 

 crows show that the toad is a common element in the food of this 

 bird. From Dr. A. K. Fisher's Report on the Hawks and Owls of 

 the United States, I take the following list of birds known to feed 

 on the toad : red-tailed hawk, broad-winged hawk, red-shouldered 

 hawk, screech owl. To the above list my friend, Mr. F. H. Mosher, 

 adds the marsh hawk, which, he states, is one of the worst enemies of 

 toads, destroying large numbers of them during the spawning season. 

 Mr. Mosher also informs me that he has found a toad in the nest of a 

 Cooper's hawk. It is probable that all the hawks and owls occurring 

 in this region feed upon the toad to a considerable extent. While 

 young toads are migrating from the ponds, many of them are 

 destroyed by hens, ducks and guinea fowls. Several snakes have 



*Tlie Common Crow, BuU. 6, U. S. Dep. Agr. Dlv. of Ornith. and Mamm. 1895, p. 51. 



