WILD CREATURES OF GARDEN AND HEDGEROW 



starts them off. Every toad in the country- 

 side is taken with the same madness — ^they 

 must all reach water cost what it may ! The 

 strange part is that it is not every ditch, pond, 

 or stream that will do, but one particular pool 

 to which they all make their way. Why some 

 one pond should be chosen I cannot tell you, 

 but water which is apparently perfection will 

 never be used, though another pool not far 

 off will swarm with toads, and it does not 

 follow because frogs use a pond that toads 

 will also come to it. By my home are a chain 

 of pools, five in number, and to two of these 

 the toads come in thousands, but the others, 

 which as far as I can see would do just as well, 

 are never used at all. From far and wide they 

 come to the chosen ponds. What is the farthest 

 that they come I cannot say ; all I know is that 

 no other pond is used by toads within a mile 

 and a half and perhaps farther in any direction, 

 BO many of these toads must have travelled a 

 mile or more, which, compared with the size 

 of the creature, is a great distance. How do 

 they know where these pools are, how do they 

 find their way ? They most certainly have 

 never been near them since the day when they 

 left the water and set about as miniature toads 

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