332 THE TOAD AS AN ENTOMOLOGIST. 
A trip to the sea-side is not always easily obtained; but the 
naturalist may be seen in the markets buying the several species 
of flat fish, such as flounders and other species which live and 
feed at the bottom of the sea. Knowing them to be good col- 
lectors, he takes advantage of this fact to procure many and 
sometimes rare species, and thus adds to his cabinet, without the 
trouble of dredging for them. 
The entomologist, likewise, has recourse to different methods to 
obtain the objects of his interesting study. The following is one 
of many: 
Starting at six o’clock one morning, in the summer of 1864, 
for a walk to our beautiful mountain to collect insects, provided 
with the requisite apparatus, a wide-mouthed bottle, with spirits, 
for beetles, and a small flat box, lined with cork, for butterflies, 
etc., my success was particularly good. The first captures were 
eleven specimens of carrion beetles, comprising three species, viz., 
Silpha peltata, Silpha marginalis and Silpha ineequalis. These 
were obtained from the body of a dead hawk-owl (Surnia ulula). 
Having secured them in the bottle, and while walking leisurely ' 
along, I noticed a toad (Bufo Americanus) sitting contentedly at 
the root of a basswood tree (Tilia Americana). Having never 
made use of my dingy friend as an insect collector, although aware 
of his propensity that way, my mind was made up to press him into 
the service—but how? He must be dead first. As he sat looking : 
at me with his beautiful eyes (for although his appearance is not 
very prepossessing, still those beautiful, bright, yet languid eyes 
go a great way to improve his appearance), I had certain qualms of 
conscience about taking his life ; still it was in the cause of ento- 
mology, and for the furtherance of science his life was sacrificed. 
Now he was dead ; how was I to proceed? I had cut up and dis- 
sected many insects as well as birds; but to cut up a toad, and 
before breakfast—“there’s the rub ”— that grey, warty toad, no 
beautiful eyes now. One slash of the knife through the skin, 
another through the walls of the stomach, and the poor creature’s 
breakfast was exposed. 
I was a little disappointed at first, as one or two common forms 
of beetles presented themselves, that might have been obtained 
without sacrificing the poor animal; still, I reasoned as he had 
been up nearly, or perhaps all night, collecting, and I had not, he 
must have taken some species not in my collection. Having — 
FE yee en ty oh eee Meine a hae eee Rene ne euler A Eo eae Fe ee mE D cee a 
