146 BIRD PARADISE 



ancient family has passed the summer. He 

 makes his presence known by certain utterances 

 that surely have nothing pleasing in sound, and 

 so far as my knowledge extends are not freighted 

 with valuable meaning. Mr. Toad doubtless is 

 more fully informed and in his own way enjoys 

 his special knowledge. I notice the fellow makes 

 full preparation for the winter some time before 

 the chilly blasts are exerting their influence. I 

 frequently find them nicely tucked away a foot or 

 more down from the surface of the ground, early 

 in October. It occurs to me that as the fellow is 

 situated with nothing special to do, it is a nice 

 arrangement if he can fold his hands and set the 

 long winter sleep in motion. The secret of when 

 to begin, however, belongs to the toad and will, I 

 judge, for all the coming years. I know of no 

 creature that counts the full grown toad as a 

 special viand at its feasts. The young fellow is 

 used, but the old fellow never ! Early in the 

 spring the toad puts its eggs into the incubator 

 furnished by the pond, and I have the notion that 

 all the eggs hatch. The parent's form does not 

 appear in the young toad. A few weeks spent in 

 the water, however, graduates the entire family in 

 full toad dress, ready for the summer campaign. 

 Half of them, I judge, fall a prey to hawks and 



