Amphibians The Toad 
for any length of time, because if the water becomes. 
too warm the tadpoles will die. 
Remove the ‘‘skin’”’ from one side of a tulip leaf, so 
as to expose the pulp of the leaf, and give to the tad- 
poles every day or two. Bits of hard-boiled egg may 
be given now and then, or a little of the ground fish. 
REFERENCES 
Tue Froc Boox, Mary Dickerson. 
Early Voices of Spring, FAMILIAR LirE In FIELD AND ForEst,, 
F. S. Mathews. 
THE USEFULNESS OF THE AMERICAN TOAD, FARMERS’ BUL- 
LETIN 196, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 
“K’' dunk, the Fat One,” A LitTLE BROTHER OF THE BEaR, 
W. J. Long. 
Hanpsook or Nature-Stupy, A. B. Comstock. 
A TOAD STORY 
In early spring, I was a little egg 
In a long jelly string with pond mud dim; 
I hatched to a tadpole with never a leg, 
But with a long tail fin so I could swim, 
And with nice little gills on the sides of my head 
Which after a while I thought best to hide; 
Then I swallowed the water to breathe, instead,— 
It flowed out through a hole in my side. 
I ate little things, too small to see, 
I ate a great many and I grew with vim, 
My hind legs came with webbed toes free 
And they soon learned to kick and help me to swim. 
My tail shortened up and my eyes bulged out 
And my two legs in front soon began to grow. 
Before the children guessed what I was about, 
I was a nice little hop-toad you know. 
And now I live here under a seat, 
In a garden where the fern fronds shade; 
And here I find things jolly good to eat, 
For my tongue is just like tangle-foot made; 
It is fastened to the front of my jaw; 
When a beetle, a fly or a bug comes along 
I aim and I swoop them into my maw. 
I sleep in a cave the cold winter long. 
In spring I come out and sing a sweet song. 
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