POISON OF THE TOAD. 63 



For the poisonous properties attributed to the 

 toad, there is some foundation, though a small one. 

 But a very small foundation is generally found strong 

 enough to bear a very large superstructure of 

 calumny ; though the reverse is the case when the 

 report is a favourable one. The skin of the toad is 

 covered with small tubercles, which secrete an acid 

 humour sufficiently sharp and unpleasant to prevent 

 dogs from carrying a toad in their mouths, though 

 not so powerful as to deter them from attacking 

 toads and killing them. 



A rather curious advantage has been taken of the 

 insect-eating propensities of the. toad. A gentleman 

 had killed a toad at a very early hour one morning, 

 and after skinning it, for the purpose of stuffing the 

 skin, he dissected its digestive system. The con- 

 tents of the stomach he turned out into a basin of 

 water, and found there a mass of insects, some of 

 them very rare and in good preservation. 



Afterwards, he was accustomed to kill toads for 

 the express purpose of collecting the insects that 

 were found within them, and which, being caught 

 during the night, were often of such species as are 

 not often found. 



The same experiment elicited another curious 

 fact, namely, the great tenacity of life possessed by 

 some insects. Before pinning out the insects that 

 were found, and which were mostly beetles, they 

 had been allowed to remain in the water for several 



