MAY. 129 



pleasant sounds from the woods upon the western shore. 

 These drew us nearer to the clean white sands of the 

 little beach. The sapling growths along the water's edge 

 teemed with song-birds, even the tree-creeping warbler 

 lisping with an energy that suggested the stimulating air 

 of the mountains. Finally, a thrush, perched upon the 

 trembling top twig of an oak, invited us ashore with such 

 persuasive eloquence that the Iva was beached, and we left 

 it for a brief upland ramble. 



Scarcely had I gone a rod before I noticed a toad, 

 and then another and another. They were all of such 

 pale coloring as to be quite inconspicuous, and had they 

 not voluntarily moved about I should probably not have 

 seen them. The cause of their activity could only be 

 guessed, and as they were so striking in appearance I 

 stopped to watch them. The pale pepper-and-salt mot- 

 tling of their skins was a beautiful instance of protective 

 coloring, and one which they stood well in need of, for 

 herons and bitterns both abound and pace these shores 

 by night. The result of my brief observation leads me to 

 ask : Does protective coloring ever serve the useful pur- 

 pose of enabling the animal to approach the more easily 

 within capturing distance of its prey ? One of these toads, 

 which I carefully watched for several minutes, often 

 changed its position by very deliberate movements, always 

 keeping closely to the sand and never hopping. The 

 appearances were all suggestive of cautious approach, 

 and yet I saw no insect, minute crustacean, or any living 

 creature upon which they would be likely to prey. 



Leaving the toads, I climbed the sandy bluff for a wood- 

 land ramble, but was doomed to disappointment. The 

 charcoal fiend had been at work, and a wide tract of de- 

 nuded country was spread out before me, concealed from 

 us when in the boat by a narrow fringe of trees and rank 

 shrubbery, which we had taken for the edge of a forest. 

 9 



