22 TOAD. Class III. 



who would not touch them were they in any de- 

 gree noxious. 



So far from having venomous, they have 

 of late been considered to possess benefi- 

 cent qualities. We wish, for the benefit of 

 mankind, that we could make a favourable 

 report of the many attempts recently made to 

 cure the most terrible of diseases, the cancer, by 

 the application of live toads; but, alas, they 

 seem only to have rendered a horrible com- 

 plaint more loathsome. My enquiries on this 

 subject, and some further particulars relating 

 to the history of this animal, may be found in 

 the Appendix.* 



In a word, we may consider the toad as an 

 animal that has neither good or harm in it ; that 

 being a defenceless creature, nature has fur- 

 nished it, instead of arms, with a most disgust- 

 ing deformity, which strikes into almost every 

 being, capable of annoying it, a strong repug- 

 nancy to meddle with so hideous and threaten- 

 ing an appearance. 

 Genera- The time of their propagation is very early 

 in the spring : at that season the females are 

 seen crawling about oppressed by the males. 



No. I. 



TION. 



