THE TOAD. 



385 



coupled in the water. They continue toge- 

 ther some hours, and adhere so fast as to tear 

 the very skin from the parts they stick to. In 

 all this they entirely resemble the frog; but 

 the assistance which the male lends the fe- 

 male, in bringing forth, is a peculiarity in 

 this species that must not be passed over in 

 silence. " In the evening of a summer's 

 day, a French gentleman, being in the king's 

 gardens at Paris, perceived two toads coupled 

 together, and he stopped to examine them. 

 Two facts equally new surprised him ; the first 

 was the extreme difficulty the female had in 

 laying her eggs ; the second was the assist- 

 ance lent her by the male for this purpose. 

 The eggs of the female lie in her body, like 

 beads on a string ; and after the first, by great 

 effort, was excluded, the male caught it with 

 his hinder paws, and kept working it till he 

 had thus extracted the whole chain. In this 

 manner the animal performed, in some mea- 

 sure, the functions of a midwife ; impregna- 

 ting, at the same time, every egg as it issued 

 from the body. 



It is probable, however, that this difficulty 

 in bringing forth obtains only upon land ; and 

 that the toad, which produces its spawn in the 

 water, performs it with as much ease as a frog. 

 They propagate in England exactly in the 

 manner of frogs; and the female, instead of 

 retiring to dry holes, goes to the bottom of 

 ponds, and there lies torpid all the winter, 

 preparing to propagate in the beginning of 

 spring. On these occasions, the number of 

 males is found greatly to surpass that of the 

 other sex, there being above thirty to one ; 

 and twelve or fourteen are often seen clinging 

 to the same female. 



When, like the frog, they have undergone 

 all the variations of their tadpole state, they 

 forsake the water ; and are often seen, in a 

 moist summer's evening, crawling up, by my- 

 riads, from fenny places, into dryer situations. 

 There, having found out a retreat, or having 

 dug themselves one with their mouth and 

 hands, they lead a patient solitary life, seldom 

 venturing out, except when the moisture of a 

 summer's evening invites them abroad. At 

 that time the grass is filled with snails, and 

 the pathways covered with worms, which make 

 their principal food. Insects also of every 

 kind they are fond 01 ; and we have the au- 

 thority of Linnaeus for it, that they sometimes 

 continue immovable, with the mouth open, 

 at the bottom of shrubs, where the butterflies, 

 in some measure fascinated, are seen to fly 

 down their throats. 1 



In a letter from Mr Arscott, there are some 

 curious particulars relating to this animal, 

 which throw great light upon its history. 



1 Amsentt. vol. vi. p. 201. 



" Concerning the toad," says he, " that lived 

 so many years with us, and was so great a fa- 

 vourite, the greatest curiosity was its becom- 

 ing so remarkably tame ; iV had frequented 

 some steps before our hall-door some years be- 

 fore my acquaintance commenced with it, and 

 had been admired by my father for its size, 

 (being the largest I ever met with,) who con. 

 stantly paid it a visit every evening. I knew 

 it myself above thirty years ; and by constant- 

 ly feeding it, brought it to be so tame, that it 

 always came to the candle, and looked up, as 

 if expecting to be taken up and brought upon 

 the table, where I always fed it with insects 

 of all sorts. It was fondest of flesh maggots, 

 which I kept in bran; it would follow them, 

 and when within a proper distance, would fix 

 his eyes, and remain motionless for near a 

 quarter of a minute, as if preparing for the 

 stroke, which was an instantaneous throwing 

 its tongue at a great distance upon the insect, 

 which stuck to the tip by a glutinous matter. 

 The motion is quicker than the eye can follow. 

 I cannot say how long my father had been ac- 

 quainted with the toad, before I knew it ; but 

 when I was first acquainted with it, he used 

 to mention it as the old toad I have known so 

 many years ; I can answer for thirty-six years. 

 This old toad made its appearance* as soon as 

 the warm weather came ; and I always con- 

 cluded it retired to some dry bank, to repose 

 till spring. When we new-layed the steps, 

 I had two holes made in the third step, on 

 each, with a hollow of more than a yard long 

 for it ; in which I imagine it slept, as it came 

 from thence at its first appearance. It was 

 seldom provoked. Neither that toad, nor the 

 multitudes I have seen tormented with great 

 cruelty, ever showed the least desire of re- 

 venge, by spitting or emitting any juice from 

 their pimples. Sometimes, upon taking it up, 

 it would let out a great quantity of clear wa- 

 ter, which, as I have often seen it do the same 

 upon the steps when quite quiet, was certainly 

 its urine, and no more than a natural evacua- 

 tion. Spiders, millipedes, and flesh maggots, 

 seem to be this animal's favourite food. I 

 imagine if a bee was to be put before a toad, 

 it would certainly eat it to its cost ;* but as 

 bees are seldom stirring at the same time thai 

 toads are, they rarely come in their way; as 

 they do not appear after sun-rising, or before 

 sun-set. In the heat of the day they will 

 come to the mouth of their hole, I believe for 

 air. I once, from my parlour window, ob- 

 served a large toad I had in the bank of a 

 bowling-green, about twelve at noon in a very 

 hot day, very busy and active upon the grass. 

 So uncommon an appearance made me go oul 



* RfE.sel tried a frog; it swallowed the bee alive; its 

 stomach was stung, and the animal vomited it up again 

 3c 



