COMMON TOAD. 139 



a degree of cold. In the early part of spring, like 

 others of this genus, it retires to the waters, 

 where it continues during the breeding season, 

 and deposits its ova or spawn in the form of double 

 necklace-like chains or strings of beautifully trans- 

 parent gluten, and of the length of three or four 

 feet, in each of which are disposed the ova in a 

 continued double series throughout the whole 

 length, having the appearance of so many small 

 jet-black globules or beads ; being in reality no 

 other than the tadpoles or larv^ convoluted into 

 a globular form, and waiting for the period of 

 their evolution or hatching, which takes place in 

 the space of about fourteen or fifteen days, when 

 they break from the surrounding gluten, and, like 

 the tadpoles of frogs, swim about in the water, 

 and are nourished by various animalcules, gluten, 

 leaves of water-plants, &c. &c. till, having ar- 

 rived at their full growth, the legs are formed, 

 the tail gradually becomes obliterated, and the 

 animals leave the water, and betake themselves to 

 the surface of the ground. This generally hap- 

 pens early in the autumn, at which period it is 

 not uncommon to find such numbers of the young 

 animals in some particular places, that their ap- 

 pearance has frequently given rise to the vulgar 

 idea of their having being showered from the 

 clouds. 



The Toad is an animal too well known to re- 

 quire any very particular description of its form ; 

 and the figure accompanying this article will 

 perhaps be more impressive than any verbal de- 



