Amphibians 
THE TOAD 
E have found that a pet toad in a little 
moss garden is far more entertaining than 
a goldfish in an aquarium. I shall never 
M forget the actions of one of my toad pets 
P after he had swallowed a Junebug; his 
2 face wore a surprised and pained expres- 
sion, meanwhile he patted and rubbed his 
stomach with his little pudgy hands, as ‘if to quiet 
its uneasy contents. 
The toad’s eyes have a beautiful golden iris. 
The ear is a flat, oval spot behind and below the eye. 
The mouth is wide, and the jaws are horny, with no 
teeth. The tongue is attached to the front of the 
lower jaw. It is covered with a sticky secretion, 
and may be darted out for a long distance; its aim is 
excellent, and any insect that it touches sticks fast 
and is brought back to the mouth and swallowed 
whole. 
The warty back of the toad protects it from the 
sight of its enemies, for its color and roughness make 
it appear like the soil. The toad also has the power 
to change color more or less to match any soil it 
happens to be in. The toad’s warts do not make 
warts on the hands that handle him; but many of 
them, especially the big ones just behind the head, 
are glands which secrete a poisonous, milky sub- 
stance when the toad is seized; this is evidently 
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