OR, PLAIN 



TEACHING. 



253 



Wood tells an interesting story, 

 showing how the nature of these 

 harmless animals is misconceived. 

 The circumstance occurred in 

 France : — 



I was once walking in the forest at Mendon 

 with a party of friends, and was brought to a 

 check by a sudden attack made on a large toad 

 that was walking along the pathway, I suc- 

 ceeded in stopping a blow that was aimed at it ; 

 and was stooping down, intending to remove it 

 10 a place of safety, when I was hastily pulled 

 away, and horror was depicted on the counte- 

 nances of all the spectators. 



" It will bite you," cried one. 



4i Pouah I " exclaimed another, "it will spit 

 poison at you. 



"In France everyone kills toads," said a 

 third. 



I objected that it could not bite, because it had 

 no teeth. 



" No teeth ! " they all exclaimed. " In 

 France, toads always have teeth." 



" Well, then," 1 said, 44 1 will open its mouth 

 and show you that it has none." 



But before I could touch it, I was again 

 dragged away. 



44 Teeth come when the toads are fifty years 

 old," was the explanation that was given ; but 

 still the death sentence had passed in every 

 mind, and I knew that when 1 moved the poor 

 toad would be killed. 



Just then, some one remarked that tobacco 

 killed toads, it put on their backs. So I took 

 advantage of the assertion, and made a com- 

 promise, that, on my part, I would not handle 

 the toad, and that, on theirs, the only mode 

 by which they might kill it was by putting 

 tobacco on it. 



The terms being thus arranged, plenty of 

 tobacco was produced— and very bad tobacco, 

 too, as is generally the case in France ; and, as 

 no one but myself dared come so near, I put 

 about half an ounce of the weed on the back 

 of the toad, as it sat in a rut For a minute 

 or more, the creature sat quite still, and all the 

 party began to exclaim — 



44 See ! the toad is quite dead !" 



44 Ah! the nasty animal!" 



" Monsieur Ool !" (no one ever made a better 

 shot at my name than Ool) 44 Monsieur Ool! 

 the toad is dead !" 



However, the toad rose, shook off all the 

 tobacco, and recommenced his march along the 

 road. The only good that was done was the 

 saving of that individual toad's life, for all the 

 party retained their faith in toads' teeth, and 

 probably thought that the creature would not 

 touch me because I was a trifle madder than the 

 rest of my nation, who are always very mad on 

 the French stage. 



Afterwards I found that the belief in toads' 

 teeth was quite general ; and one person offered 

 to show me some, half an inch in length, which 

 he kept in a box at home. But I was never 

 fortunate enough to see them.* 



* Common Objects of the Country 



As we quit the woods for a 

 ramble in the fields, we shall 

 probably, if we linger upon the 

 stile that leads from the pathway- 

 through the woods, see the long- 

 tailed field mouse, 4, running 



4 



657. 



about among the brushwood 

 which lies among the trunks of 

 the trees bordering upon the 

 woodland. Keeping still, we 

 shall see hundreds of little heads 

 peeping from the holes which 

 form the burrows of these little 

 animals. Their eyes are full, 

 black, and bright : colour above, 

 reddish brown, beneath whitish ; 

 ears more than half the length 

 of the head ; tail somewhat 

 shorter than the head and body. 



This beautiful but mischievous little animal 

 is spread over the whole of temperate Europe. 

 It frequents woods, plantations, parks, orchards, 

 and gardens, where it commits great devasta- 

 tions. In some places it multiplies in hosts, 

 and instances are on record of young planta- 

 tions covering acres having been totally de- 

 stroyed by their depredations. They strip the 

 bark and shoots from off the sapling trees, and 

 root up the newly-planted acorns; nor are 

 they less injurious in wheat fields. Each indi- 

 vidual lays up in its hole or burrow a winter 

 store of food, consisting of grain, acorns, nuts, 

 peas, &c. ; and hence it is not only from what 

 they devour at the time, but also from what 

 they carry away that they cause such injuries. 

 In the kitchen-garden, as we can personally 



