454 DAN BEARD'S ANIMAL BOOK 



escape, and to all appearances having the time of his life. 



" But one day, Toady got into disgrace. This is how it 

 came about: I constructed a fountain in the rear yard last 

 summer, in which were- placed some goldfish. One moon- 

 light night, happening to look into the water, lo and behold! 

 There was Mr. Toad, his big, broad face and bulging eyes 

 looking up at me the very picture of trouble. It was mani- 

 fest that he was trying to get out of the water, but a 

 high, steep and slippery wall made this impossible. On 

 further examination I was quite taken aback to see in his 

 mouth a little goldfish, wriggling and squirming to escape. 

 Toady was looking directly at me and seemed to say, or 

 1 could imagine him saying, 



' Please, Mr. Back-scratcher, help me out with this dainty 

 morsel.' 



" Now, instead of being amused I was filled with wrath, 

 for in my warty friend I at once espied a harmful creature, 

 that would soon deplete the animal life in the fountain. I 

 made haste to catch him up with a net, and with firm set 

 lips, conveyed the poaching rascal out into the alley, where 

 I dumped him a block away. I hated to do it, but I realized 

 it must be done or good-bye to the goldfish. 



"How such a slow-moving fellow could capture a quick, 

 swimming fish was a puzzle. No doubt, after climbing to 

 the top of the fountain wall, he had seen the fish passing 

 temptingly by. It was too much for Toady, and in he went, 

 all bent on catching the fish, very much like human beings, 

 who so frequently fall into temptation without figuring on 

 after results." 



July 15, 1908, I brought a common tree-toad into the house, 

 and it has lived contentedly with us ever since, and is now, 

 May 31, 1909, sitting at my elbow on the window-sill. A 

 pot of damp sod is placed in the window where the tree-toad 

 sleeps in the daytime. This keeps his toadship from drying 

 up. The toad feeds from my hand, and at night wanders 

 all over the walls of the room. On December 5th it went 

 into winter quarters in a toad-hole in a flower pot; on 

 February 7th it came out for a while, but again returned, 

 remaining fltiiet until warm weather ; now it sings merrily 

 on the window-sill, eats flies, moths and small insects, furnishes 

 amusement to my children, and. appears perfectly happy in 

 the house. 



