176 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



speak within due bounds, I should think there were thousands of these little 

 creatures all of a mass. Then on the sand by the side of the pool and among 

 the grass close by were piled and clustered hundreds, indeed, I may say 

 thousands of tiny toads all belonging to the same species. Some of these 

 little toads thus on land had not yet dropped their tails." The young toads 

 continue to issue from the water through July and August, and may often be 

 found crouching under stones, several of them together. A great many of 

 these little toads perish before they attain a respectable size. In our Septem- 

 ber rambles we frequently meet with a compact, bright -eyed little toad, of a 

 brightish brown, with a dull red spot just behind the head, and bluish-grey 

 below, making it way among the grass by the side of the road. This solitary 

 little toad is one of the many which migrated from the ditch in June. 



There is one peculiarity in the habit of the toad, which I cannot explain ; 

 this is its habit of carrying the younger members of the same family on its 

 back. I have only seen one or two instances, and that when a boy. In the 

 dampest part of our old fashioned garden — ah ! how many sly nooks and 

 corners there were for birds and reptiles in that old garden — lived a sedate 

 old toad presumably one of the gentle sex. On one occasion I found her 

 marching along with two or three good-sized young ones on her back, and I 

 will remember how hard I tried, boy-like, to poke them off by means of a 

 stick, but found myself quite unable to do so from their clinging so tightly 

 to her. 



Soon after the toad has deposited its spawn in spring, it comes to land, 

 and is commonly seen in gardens till the approach of winter. During the 

 day it crouches in holes of walls or under stones, and occasionally buries 

 itself in the soft mould of a flower bed. When the shades of evening appear 

 the poor toad comes forth in search of food. After a sudden shower in 

 summer the toad is at the height of his enjoyment. He then issues forth, 

 even in the day-time, and with ungainly hops and crawls prepares to banquet 

 on the feast before it, for at these times the lawns and flower-beds teem with 

 slugs, worms, beetles and grubs. The toad is one of the gardeners best 

 allies if he did but know it, and as a collector of Coleoptera it has but few 

 equals. A gentleman who collected these insects was in the habit of enriching 

 his cabinet by killing other collectors, to wit the toad, and robbing them of 

 their spoils. By this cruel means he secured many a rare nocturnal insect. 

 The tongue of the toad is very long, the tip pointing down the throat, the 

 root or base being situated at the entrance of the mouth. When toady sees 

 an insect which he fancies, his hind-toes begin twitching in the greatest 

 excitement, and with nearly the rapidity of a flash of lightning, flings out his 

 tongue, secures the insect on the tip and swallows it almost as quickly. Tf, 



