INSECTIVOROUS ANIMALS 277 



of catching every toad within reach, and one day in June a boat 

 brought a box to me from the far-off express office. A piece of wire 

 netting was nailed across the top, and upon the earth with which 

 it was half filled, reposing upon some dry and dusty green leaves, 

 sat three dry and dusty toads, wearily gazing at nothing. Is this 

 all, I thought, only three ! Hardly worth sending so far. Poor 

 creatures ! they looked so arid and wilted, I took up the hose and 

 turned upon them a gentle shower of fresh cool water, flooding the 

 box. I was not prepared for the result ! The dry, baked earth 

 heaved tumultuously : up came dusky heads and shoulders and bright 

 eyes by the dozen. A sudden concert of liquid sweet notes was 

 poured out on the air from the whole rejoicing company. It was 

 really beautiful to hear that musical ripple of delight. I surveyed 

 them with eager interest as they sat singing and blinking together. 

 " You are not handsome,'' I said, as I took a hammer and wrenched 

 off the wire cover that shut them in, " but you will be lovely in my 

 sight if you will help me to destroy mine enemy " ; and with that I 

 turned the box on its side and out they skipped into a perfect para- 

 dise of food and shade. All summer I came upon them in different 

 parts of the garden, waxing fatter and fatter till they were as round 

 as apples. In the autumn baby toads no larger than my thumb nail 

 were found hopping merrily over the whole island. There were 

 sixty in that first importation ; next summer I received ninety more. 

 Celia Thaxter, An Island Garden, pp. 9, 10. (See also Letters 

 of Celia Thaxter, p. 1 79.) 



We may next take up the life story. Who can bring 

 in the first eggs .' Where shall we look for toads' eggs 1 

 At what season are they laid 1 Who ever heard of toads' 

 eggs, anyway.' What do they look like .? What child in 

 the class can tell us t 



This part of the subject should be taken up in the 

 spring, about the time the frost comes out of the ground. 

 On some of the first warm evenings after this, a rustling 

 of dry leaves and grass may be heard in every direction, 



