The Zoologist— September, 1869. 18-27 



favourite idea, to which the same unapproachable poet gave expression 



in the passage — 



" S«-eet are ibe uses of adversity 

 Which, like the load, ugly and venomous, 

 Wears yel a precious jewel in ils head." 



Pennant, in his Zoology, says—" The toad was believed to have a 

 stone in its head, fraught with great virtues, medical and magical. 

 It was distinguished by the name of the reptile, and called the toad- 

 stone, Bufoniles, Crapaudine, Krottenstein, &c. ; but all its fancied 

 powers vanished on the discovery of its being nothing but the fossil- 

 tooth of the sea-wolf, or some other flat-toothed fish not infrequent in 

 our island, as well as in several other countries." The editor of 

 'Popular Antiquities,' pursuing the subject farther, has added two 

 interesting notes from the same author : he says, " These and other 

 grinding teeth (alluding to the teeth of the sea-wolf) are often found 

 fossil, and in that state called Bufoniles or toad-stones : they were 

 formerly esteemed for their imaginary virtues, and were set in gold and 

 worn as rings."— (Zoo%y, vol. ii., p. 154). Thus the true toad-stone 

 turns out to be something else, a something which retains none of its 

 properties now that its supposed virtues have evaporated with the dis- 

 covery ; but the brilliant eye which gave rise to the idea remains as 

 beautiful as ever. It is rather curious to find an author maintaining, 

 with somewhat comic gravity, that " the people of England made 

 superstitious uses of a real jewel that always could be found in a toad's 

 head." Behind each eye is a large swelling or protuberance. The 

 fore legs are short, and the toes, which are four in number, are turned 

 inwards : they are slightly connected by a membrane at the base. 

 The hind legs are considerably longer than the fore legs, and have five 

 toes, all of which are connected by a membrane at the base ; the 

 fourth toe is much the longest, the third next in length, then the 

 fifth, then the second, and the first is the shortest. Lord Clermont 

 speaks of the rudiment of a sixth toe on the hind foot ; but, having 

 thoroughly examined the small wart-like process to which his lordship 

 alludes, 1 find myself quite unable to take this view of its homology. 

 I must also, although with considerable hesitation, dissent from Mr. 

 Bell's generic character, " hind feet of moderate length, toes not 

 webbed ;" since in every instance that has come under my notice, the 

 hind toes are most evidently webbed, although not to the extremities 

 of the toes. The colour of the toad is dull brown on the back, the 



