CLASS AMPHIBIA : ORDER ANURA. 



181 



Mg. 307. 



Bufo americSnue, Common Toad. 



Bufonidse. — Toads differ from frogs in the absence of 

 teeth on the upper jaw. They hibernate beneath rocks and 

 in holes which they dig 

 in the ground,* only 

 visiting the water to lay 

 their eggs. Living ex- 

 clusively upon insects, 

 and having a voracious 

 appetite,! no more use- 

 ful animal can be har- 

 Ijored in a garden. In 

 both frogs and toads, 

 the tongue is fastened 

 at the front of the mouth instead of the back. The viscid 

 tip, armed with two finger-like prongs, can be darted out 

 with incredible velocity. An insect venturing near is thus 



glued fast and put 

 down the animal's 

 throat without masti- 

 cation. 



Pipidse.— The Su- 

 rinam Toad lays its 

 eggs in the water, but 

 the male quickly places 

 them upon the back of 

 the female. Adhering 

 „ ■ - o • m ^ to this, cells soon form 



Pipa amencana, Surmam Toad. J. ' . 



beneath, in which they 

 become imbedded. Here the young are hatched, and pass 



* No doubt they can remain a long time without food, but there is no well authen- 

 ticated instance of their having been found enclosed in cavities of solid rock with no 

 crevices connecting with the outside world. 



t A naturalist once fed to a toad twenty-three squash-hugs and ninety-foor cater- 

 pillars, an inch and a half in length, before it turned away to digest its meal. Feed- 

 ing mostly by night, the toad is of great aid to the Entomologist in furnishing him 

 with specimens of insects he might otherwise never see ; though he is compelled to 

 sacrifice the life of his assistant in order to avail himself of its services. In spite of 

 popular prejudice against handling toads, etc., all the members of this order are per- 

 fectly harqiless, except a temporary smarting that the exudations of the skin may 

 produce if transferred from the hands to the eyes. 



