﻿DEEMAL 
  SECRETION. 
  31 
  

  

  howling 
  and 
  rubbing 
  its 
  foaming 
  mouth 
  on 
  the 
  grass. 
  

   After 
  a 
  few 
  minutes 
  the 
  dog 
  was 
  seized 
  with 
  convul- 
  

   sions, 
  and 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  carried 
  home 
  exhausted. 
  On 
  the 
  

   next 
  day 
  it 
  had 
  a 
  swollen 
  mouth 
  and 
  burning 
  nose. 
  It 
  

   did 
  not 
  completely 
  recover 
  until 
  the 
  following 
  day. 
  

  

  That 
  the 
  toad's 
  poison 
  does 
  not 
  protect 
  it 
  against 
  

   snakes 
  is 
  well 
  known, 
  — 
  our 
  common 
  Tropidonokis, 
  for 
  

   instance, 
  not 
  feeling 
  any 
  more 
  repulsion 
  for 
  it 
  than 
  for 
  

   a 
  frog, 
  although 
  it 
  will 
  not 
  eat 
  Bomhinator. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  

   experience 
  of 
  those 
  who 
  have 
  handled 
  freshly 
  caught 
  

   specimens 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  that 
  the 
  secretion 
  of 
  these 
  

   Batrachians 
  acts 
  as 
  a 
  sternutatory, 
  and 
  causes 
  irritation 
  

   of 
  the 
  mucous 
  membrane 
  of 
  the 
  nose 
  and 
  conjunctiva, 
  

   the 
  effect 
  being 
  comparable 
  to 
  the 
  early 
  stages 
  of 
  a 
  

   cold 
  in 
  the 
  head. 
  German 
  violinists, 
  it 
  is 
  said, 
  when 
  

   suffering 
  from 
  moist 
  hands, 
  are 
  accustomed 
  to 
  check 
  

   the 
  perspiration 
  by 
  handling 
  live 
  toads. 
  Many 
  col- 
  

   lectors 
  of 
  Batrachians 
  have 
  learned, 
  to 
  their 
  discom- 
  

   fiture, 
  how 
  the 
  introduction 
  of 
  examples 
  of 
  certain 
  

   species 
  in 
  the 
  bag 
  containing 
  the 
  spoil 
  of 
  their 
  excur- 
  

   sion 
  may 
  cause 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  prisoners, 
  and 
  

   common 
  tree-frogs 
  are 
  stated 
  to 
  have 
  died 
  from 
  the 
  

   contact, 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  small 
  terrarium, 
  of 
  examples 
  of 
  an 
  

   American 
  species, 
  Hyla 
  versicolor^ 
  which, 
  owing 
  to 
  its 
  

   warty 
  skin, 
  is 
  often 
  designated 
  as 
  a 
  '' 
  tree- 
  toad 
  ; 
  " 
  for 
  

   although 
  the 
  poison 
  has 
  no 
  effect 
  on 
  the 
  skin 
  of 
  

   individuals 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  which 
  produces 
  it, 
  frogs 
  of 
  

   different 
  species, 
  however 
  closely 
  allied, 
  may 
  poison 
  

   each 
  other 
  by 
  mere 
  contact. 
  When 
  ingurgitated 
  or 
  

   inoculated 
  the 
  poison 
  acts 
  even 
  on 
  the 
  individual 
  by 
  

   which 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  secreted, 
  as 
  has 
  been 
  proved 
  by 
  

   various 
  experiments, 
  but 
  death 
  is 
  only 
  produced 
  by 
  

   using 
  a 
  stronger 
  dose 
  than 
  is 
  required 
  for 
  killing 
  

   individuals 
  of 
  another 
  species. 
  

  

  The 
  poison 
  of 
  Batrachians, 
  unUke 
  that 
  of 
  snakes, 
  

   is 
  not 
  a 
  septic, 
  but 
  acts 
  upon 
  the 
  heart 
  and 
  the 
  central 
  

   nervous 
  system. 
  That 
  of 
  the 
  common 
  toad 
  has 
  been 
  

   compared, 
  as 
  regards 
  its 
  effects, 
  to 
  Digitalis 
  and 
  

   Erythrophlsetim. 
  For 
  a 
  long 
  time 
  authorities 
  disagreed 
  

  

  