322 INSECTS AND OTHER SMALL ANIMALS 



less and live almost entirely on insects, worms, and 

 spiders, an incredible number of these being consumed 

 by the toad in twenty-four hours. He fills his stomach 

 four times each day, and of all the insects eaten, nearly 

 three fourths are harmful. If possible these helpful 

 animals should be increased in number. Their adult 

 life is spent on the land, under a stone or in a hole in 

 the ground during the daytime, but in active service 

 at night. The eggs are laid in long strings attached to 

 the grass or weeds in ponds or puddles of water. The 

 eggs hatch into tadpoles, or polliwogs, which breathe 

 in the water by means of gills. 



The polliwogs soon develop hind legs, then fore legs, 

 and lastly true lungs, enabling them to breathe in the 

 air. They then leave the water for the land. 



Birds. Nearly all birds when young in the nest 

 are insectivorous, the mother bird catching the insects 

 and feeding the young. Some birds are insectivorous 

 also throughout their lives, others live on fruits and 

 grains, and others on larger forms of animal life. All 

 birds have a favorite diet, but if for any reason the 

 food of their choice is not abundant, they will sustain 

 life on other food. 



Among the most useful wild birds to farmers are the 

 following: robin, quail, or bobwhite, bluebird, phcebe, 

 house wren, barn swallow, meadow lark, grass finch, 

 chickadee, downy woodpecker, yellow hammer, or 

 flicker, and night hawk. Such birds should be protected 

 in every way and should be encouraged to multiply. 



There are a few birds that do more harm than good, 

 and these should be held in check. 



The English sparrow has so increased in numbers 

 that it has become a pest, and, besides, has driven away 



