APPENDIX, 3S5 



« having for amufement put a long pole into m^ 

 " pond, and twilled it till it had gathered a large 

 " volume of weed, on taking it off I found many 

 " toads, and having cut fome afunder with my 

 " knife, by accident, to get off the weed, found 

 " them full of fpawn not thoroughly formed, I 

 " am not pofitive, but think there were a few 

 *' males in March : I know there are thirty males * 

 '' to one female, twelve or fourteen of whom I have 

 " feen clinging round a female : I have often dif- 

 *' engaged her, and put her to a folitary male, to 

 *' fee with what eagernefs he would feize her. 

 *' They impregnate the fpawn as it is drawn f out in 



*' long 



* Mr. John Hunter has afTured me, that during his refi- 

 dence at Belkifle, he differed fome hundreds of toads, yet 

 never met with a fmgle female among them, 



f I was incredulous as to the ohjietrical offices of the male 

 toad, but fince the end is fo well accounted for, and the fad 

 ellablilhed by fuch gqod authority, belief muil take place. 



Mr. Demours, in the Memoirs of the French Academy, ^s 

 tranflated by Dr. Tempkman, <voL I. 371. has been very par- 

 ticular in refpeft to the, male toad, as ading the part of a^ 

 Accoucheur ; his account is curious, and clames a place here : 



** In the evening of one of the long days in fummer, Mr, 

 ** Demcurs being in the King's garden perceived two toads 

 ** coupled together at the edge of an hole, which was formed 

 ** in part by a great ftone at the top. 



'* Curioiity drew him to fee what was the occafion of the 

 ** motions he obferved, when two fafts equally new furprized 

 ** him ; theory? was the extreme difficulty the female had in 

 ** laying her eggs, infomuch that ll"ie did not feem capable 



Vol. III. C c ** of 



