1 909- 1 9 1 0-] Toads and Frogs of the Laggan District. 1 9 1 



retriever dog which delighted in carrying other creatures be- 

 sides game in his mouth. I have seen him for his own 

 pleasure, when we were out driving, seize a hedgehog and 

 carry it for miles in his mouth, running all the time beside 

 our waggonette. When he could get nothing larger or more 

 important in his eyes, he would capture a frog or a toad and 

 carry it in his mouth without doing the creature any injury. 

 He seemed to think it was his duty always to be carrying 

 something, but he soon learned to dislike toads. I have 

 several times seen him seize one, and, after having it for a 

 moment or two in his mouth, he would give a shudder and 

 throw it to the ground with evident disgust. The cause of 

 this is the horrible acrid taste and evil smell of the viscid 

 exudation from the skin of the toad. This exudation becomes 

 solid when exposed to the air, and it is probable that it only 

 became obnoxious to the dog when it was dissolved by the 

 moisture of its mouth. In our own climate one can handle 

 toads with impunity, unless one has cut hands or an abraded 

 skin, when it is better to leave these Batrachians alone. The 

 viscid matter of the toad, when it enters a wound, is an active 

 irritant, and might cause inflammation, or even something 

 worse. In warmer climates, the exudation from the skin of 

 tlie toad is more potent in its effects, and when injected into 

 birds, or even a dog or a goat, will kill them in a short time. 

 It is said a frog will die if the exudation from a toad is merely 

 applied outwardly to its skin without any injection. Indians 

 use the poison of toads for their arrows, and obtain it by 

 placing the toads upon spits in front of a fire. The heat 

 excites the cutaneous secretion, which is collected by the 

 Indians. 



But I have told you the worst, and the toad is not a creature 

 to be dreaded or avoided, as the foregoing might lead one to 

 suppose. They are docile pets and easily domesticated, and it 

 is most interesting to watch their ways and see them feed. 

 They insist upon having live food : a worm, an ant, or a fly, 

 or smaller insects — all are acceptable ; and these are whipped 

 into their capacious mouths by a very rapid movement of the 

 tongue, that makes its smaller prey seem to disappear from 

 before your eyes as if by magic. "With worms it acts differ- 

 ently : it opens its mouth wide and seizes them generally by 



