THE NATTERJACK. 137 



In its pace it differs from the rest of the toad tribe, 

 running nearly in the manner of a mouse, with the body 

 and legs somewhat raised. It is chiefly a nocturnal animal, 

 lying hid by day in the cavities of walls, rocks, &c. The 

 male and female perfectly resemble each other. They breed 

 in June : so speedy is the evolution of the ova that the 

 tadpoles liberate themselves from the spawn in the space of 

 five or six days. This happens about the middle of June ; 

 and about the end of August the hind legs appear, which, 

 in a certain space, are succeeded by the fore legs, and by 

 September and October the animals appear in their complete 

 form. 



Roesel informs us that this species is known in some parts 

 of Germany by the name of roeMing, or reed frog, from 

 its frequenting in spring-time such places as are overgrown 

 with reeds, where it utters a strong and singular note or 

 croak. When handled or teased, it diffuses an intolerable 

 odour, resembling that of the smoke of gunpowder, but 

 stronger ; this proceeds from a whitish acrimonious fluid, 

 which it occasionally exudes from its pores. The smell in 

 some degree resembles that of orpiment or arsenic in a state 

 of evaporation ; and sometimes the animal can ejaculate 

 this fluid to the distance of three or four feet, which, if it 

 happen to fall on any part of the room where the creature 

 is kept, will, according to Koesel, be perceived two months 

 afterwards.* 



As far as this country is concerned, the forego- 

 ing is a great exaggeration of the odour emitted 

 by this toad. Lord Clermont remarks, " when 

 excited, it emits from the skin a strong sulphury 

 odour." At present we have not experienced a 

 very strong sulphury odour, much less any ap- 



* Shaw's " Zoology," vol. iii. pt. i. p. 149. 



