100 ANIMALS AND INSECTS 



waits, too, but she weaves a silken web to catch pass- 

 ing invsects, while the toad catches them on the end 

 of his tongue. 



Of course this tongue of his is not like ours. It lies 

 in his mouth just the other way around from the way 

 ours does. The tip of his tongue lies near his throat 

 and the root is fastened to the front of the lower jaw. 



Now when he catches a fly, he does not have to 

 leap upon it the way pussy catches a mouse. He just 

 sits still, and when it comes near he shoots out his 

 tongue, and before you can see what has happened 

 the fly is swallowed. The fat, lazy toad, that seems 

 to know only enough to blink his eyes, is so marvel- 

 ously quick with his tongue that our eyes cannot see 

 what he does. You would not think that of him, 

 would you, when he seems so lazy? 



But he is not lazy any more than the spider is. If 

 he hopped about the garden all the time he would 

 scare away all the insects. Then he would go hungry 

 and the insects would grow fat eating our pretty 

 flowers. So it is better for us that the toad sits still 

 and lets the insects come to him. 



These toads know more than we think. They 

 naturally live in gardens, but they have found out 

 that insects of all kinds are bewitched to fly about 

 the street lights. So over to the street lights they 

 go, too, and, sitting quietly under the light, make 

 themselves look like stones or lumps of earth. 



There, while they seem to be only waiting, they are 

 having a continuous feast of insects, big and Httle. 

 You seldom see them move; and you never see that 

 lightning-like tongue go out. All you see is, that the 



