TOADS AND FROGS 



to be killed and cooked. This kind has a 

 most musical croak, which far better deserves 

 the name of ' song ' than the somewhat harsh 

 melancholy notes of the toad. But it must be 

 remembered that the croaking of all frogs and 

 toads is a love song ! 



Besides the common toad we have only one 

 other kind of toad in England, and that is the 

 natterjack. It is much smaller, a rather light 

 grey in colour, and has a pale stripe up its 

 back. This whitish stripe distinguishes it at 

 once from even small light-coloured examples 

 of the ordinary toad. It is quite a pretty Uttle 

 creature, and not so squat and solid looking 

 as our better known friend, but just like the 

 latter in its ways and behaviour. It is not 

 very common, and is usually found on sandy 

 soils. 



To go back to the subject of tadpoles, if any 

 boy or girl wants to know something about 

 their development, nothing is simpler than to 

 put a few in a basin, which is better than the 

 time-honoured jam-jar, and therein watch them 

 grow and change. If a little gravel is put at 

 the bottom and some water weeds planted in 

 it, they will keep the water pure and it will 

 not want changing. After the first week or 



lis 



