CH. VIII] FKOGS, TOADS, AND NEWTS 293 



with numerous warts and contains calcareous concretions 

 in its dermic portions : it is thick and dry, and not at all 

 slimy unless the animal is irritated, when an acrid mucus 

 is discharged. This substance is of protective value, 

 causing intense irritation to the mucous membrane of 

 the mouth of any assailant. Dogs not infrequently suffer 

 intense distress from taking hold of toads and might even 

 be thought to be suffering from rabies. I have noticed 

 that crows, which inflict severe loss upon toads at the 

 spawning season, tear off the skin and turn it inside out 

 so that they are not exposed to its effects while eating 

 the flesh ; nor do they eventually swallow the skin, but 

 leave it to rot upon the ground. The stories and legends 

 of toads spitting venom are fabrications. 



The limbs are relatively short, especially the hinder, 

 and the powers of jumping are correspondingly feeble. The 

 hind toes are provided with partial webs only, in accordance 

 with the terrestrial habit ; the creatures only resort to the 

 water at the breeding season and swim but little. They 

 hide themselves in holes, and among stones, under tree 

 trunks and in other cool places during the day and come 

 out chiefly in the evening in search of food. They are 

 most useful in gardens in keeping down slugs, snails, flies, 

 beetles, wood-lice, caterpillars and other insect larvaB and 

 they also devour earthworms. The prey is seized by the 

 tongue in the same manner as with the frog. The jaws 

 of a toad differ from those of a frog in being quite destitute 

 of teeth, and the tip of the tongue is scarcely or not at 

 all bilobed. The internal anatomy of the two is in general 

 very similar, one of the most striking differences being 



