TOAD, PIPA. 181 



lishetl a new order for its reception. The body is biped, 

 naked, and furnished with a tail; and the feet have very 

 long claws. It is found in swampy and muddy situations, 

 under the trunks of old trees, and measures from thirty to 

 forty inches in length. 



THE COMMON TOAD 



Is very universally known. It is found in gardens, woods, 

 and fields, and often makes its way into cellars, and other 

 retired places, where it can find food and shelter itself from 

 the cold. It passes the breeding season in the water, 

 where it deposits its spawn, which undergoes the same 

 changes as that of the frogs. The toad is of a dark brown 

 or olive colour, irregularly and obscurely spotted. Its 

 skin is rough and granulated. The toad, in spite of its 

 natural shyness, may be tamed and rendered very familiar. 

 The toad may be said to be a harmless animal. The fluid 

 that oozes from its skin does, indeed, affect very small 

 animals, being slightly acrimonious, and this we may 

 suppose has given rise to the fable of its being of a highly 

 poisonous nature. 



THE MEPHITIC TOAD 



Is so called from its emitting, when handled, a most into- 

 lerable odour, resembling that of the vapour of arsenic. 

 It is found in some parts of Germany, and is much like 

 the common toad, excepting in having a pale sulphur- 

 coloured stripe running down the back, and a grey ab- 

 domen. 



THE PIPA 



Is a toad found in Surinam, which presents to us a pheno- 

 menon unexampled in the history of animals. The pipa is 

 considerably larger than the common toad, its body is 

 flattish, its head somewhat triangular, its mouth very wide. 

 The male is larger than the female, its body being seven 



