ON THE TOAD. 507 



" The animal is put into a linen bag, all but its 

 " head, and that is held to the part. It has, 

 " generally, instantly laid hold of the foulest 

 " part of the sore, and sucked with greediness 

 " until it dropped off dead. It has frequently 

 " happened that the creature has swollen im- 

 " mensely, and from its agonies appeared to 

 " be in great pain. I have weighed them for 

 " several days together, before and after the 

 " application, and found their increase of 

 " weight, in the different degrees, from a 

 " drachm to near an ounce. They frequently 

 " sweat exceedingly, and turn quite pale : 

 " sometimes they disgorge, recover, and be- 

 " come lively again. I think the whole scene 

 " is surprising, and a very remarkable piece of 

 " natural history. From the constant inof- 

 " fensiveness which I have observed in them, I 

 " almost question the truth of their poisonous 

 " spitting. Many people here expect no great 

 " good from the application of toads to can- 

 " cers ; and where the disorder is not abso- 

 " lutely local, none is to be expected ; where 

 " it is, and seated in any part, not to be well 

 " come at for extirpation, I think it is hardly 

 " to be imagined, but that the having it sucked 

 " clean as often as you please, must give great 

 " relief. Every body knows, that dogs licking 



