T O A 
the Spaniards exprefs that fingular animal more 
lirually denominated the opoffum. 
TLAQUATZIN SPINOSUM. A name by 
which Plernandez has exprefled the cuanda, a 
kind of American porcupine. 
TLANHQUACHUL. A Brazilian bird, 
pretty nearly approaching to the nature of the 
European platea, or fpoon-bill. It is extremely 
voracious, feeding entirely on live fifii, and fafti- 
dioudy rejefting dead ones. It is entirely of a 
beautiful red cloour, with a black ring round the 
upper part of it's neck. It frequents the fea- 
fliores, and the banks of rivers. 
TLEUQLIECHOLTOTOTL. A Mexi- 
can bird of the woodpecker kind; defcribed by 
jS^iercmberg under the name of the avis falutife- 
rus, the pilumage of a red creft which adorns it's 
head being efteemed a jpccific againft the head- 
ach. 
TOAD; the Rana Bufo of Linnaeus. This 
animal bears a ftrong refemblance to the frog, ex- 
cept that It is blacker in it's colours; and being 
flow and heavy in it's motions, exhibits nothing 
of the agility of that creature. Yet fuch is the 
force of habit, begun in early prejudice, that thofe 
who confider the frog as an harmlei's, playful ani- 
mal, turn from the Toad with horror and difguft. 
The frog is confidered as an ufeful alTiftant in rid- 
ding our grounds of vermin; the Toad as a fecret 
cnpmy, which only feeks an occafion to infed: us 
v^irh it's venom. 
In this manner the imagination, biafled by it's 
terrors, delineates the Toad in the mod hideous 
colouring, and clothes it with more than natural 
deformity. It's body is broad; it's back is flat; 
and it is covered with a dufl<y, pimpled hide. It's 
belly is large, fwagging, and prominent; it's pace 
is laboured, and crawling; it's retreat is gloomy 
and filthy; and it's whole appearance is generally 
fuppofed to be calculated to excite difguft and 
hoiTor: hence few can examine it without antipa- 
thy. Yet Goldfmith informs us that, on firft 
feeing a Toad, none of it's deformities affedled 
him with the fmalleft fenfations of loathing; and 
that he even miftook it for a frog. 
As the Toad bears a general fimilitude to the 
frog, fo it alfo refembles that animal in it's na- 
ture and appetites. Like the frog, the Toad is 
amphibious; like that animal, it lives on worms 
and infcdls, which it feizes by darting out it's 
tongue; and in the fame manner alfo it crawls 
about during moift weather. 
The male and fem,ale couple, as in all the frog 
kind; their time of propagation being very early 
in the fpring. Sometimes the females are feen 
on land, oppreffed by the males; but they are 
more frequently coupled in the water. They 
continue together for fome hours; and adhere fo 
fafb, as to tear oft^ the very fl^in from the place. 
In all thefe particulars they entirely refemble the 
frog. But the affiftance which the male lends the 
female in bringing forth, is a peculiarity in this 
fpecics worthy of attention. A French gentle- 
man, on the evening of a fummer's day, perceiv- 
ing two Toads coupled together in the king's 
garden.s at Paris, flopped to examine them. Two 
fads, equally new, furprifed him : the firft, the 
extreme difficulty of the female in laying her 
eggs; the fccond, the affiftance lent her by the 
male for that purpofe. The eggs of the female 
lie in her body like beads on a firing; and, after 
the firft was excluded by a ftrong effcrt, thebaic 
T O A 
caught it with his hinder paws, and kept working 
it till he had thus extraded the whole ch^in. lit 
this manner the animal performed, in fome mea- 
fure, the fundions of a midwife; impregnating 
every egg at the fiime time that it iffuedfrom the 
body. 
It is probable, however, that this difficulty in 
parturition happens only on the land ; and that 
the Toad, which produces it's fpawn in the water, 
performs it as eafily as the frog, 
Ih England, the Toad propagates exadly in 
the fame manner as the frog; and the female, in- 
ftead of retiring to a dry hole, dcfcends to the bot- 
tom of fome pond, where fhe lies torpitl the whoie 
winter, preparing to propagate at the beginning 
of the fpring. On thefe occafions the number of 
females is found greatly to furpafs that of the 
other fex, there being above thirty to one; and 
twelve or fourteen of the former are frequently 
feen clinging to the fame female. 
When, like the frog, the young have under- 
gone all the variations of the tadpole ft ate, they 
forfake the water; and are often feen, in a moifl 
fummer's evening, crawling up by myriads from 
fenny places into drier fituations. Having found 
out retreats for themfelvcs, or dug them with 
their moutiis and hands, they lead a patient, foli- 
tary life, feldom venturing abroad except when 
the evening moifture invites them. At fuch. 
times the grafs is commonly covered with fnails, 
and the paths with worms, which conftitute their 
principal food. They are alfo very fond ofevery 
kind of infeds: and we have the authority of 
Linnaeus to fupport the aftertion, that they fome- 
times continue immoveable, with their mouths 
open, at the bottoms of flirubs; where the butter- 
flies, by fome unaccountable fafcination, are ob- 
ferved to fly down their throats. 
As the fubfequent letter from Mr. Arfcott, on 
the fubjed of the Toad, throv^s confiderable light 
on it's natural hiftory, we fnall make no apology 
for laying it before our reaucrs. 
' Concerning the Toad,' fays this gentleman, 
' that lived fo many years with us, and was Co 
great a favourite, the greateft curiofity was it's 
becoming ib remarkably tame. It had frequented 
fome fteps before our hall -door fome years before 
my acquaintance commenced with it; and had 
been admired by my father for it's fize, (being 
the largeft I ever met vv'ith) who conftantly paid 
it a vifit every evening. I knew it mylelf for 
above thirty years; and by conftantly feeding it, 
brought it to be fo tame, that it always came to 
the candle, and looked up, as if expeding to b« 
taken up and brought upon the table, where I al- 
ways fed it with infeds of all forts. It was moft 
fond of flefh maggots, which I kept in bran: it 
would follow them; and, when within a proper 
diftance, would fix it's eyes, and remain motion- 
lefs for near a quarter of a minute, as if preparing 
for the ftroke, which was an inftantaneous throw-^ 
ing it's tongue at a great diftance upon the infeds, 
which ftuck to the tip by a glutinous matter. 
The motion is quicker than the eye can follow. 
* I cannot fay how long my father had been 
acquainted with the Toad before I knev/ it; but 
when I was firft acquainted with it, he ufed to 
mention it as the old Toad he had known for ib 
many years. I can anfwer for thirty-fix jears. 
* This old Toad made it's appearance as foon 
as the warm weather came; and I always con- 
cluded it retired to fome dry bank to repofe till 
fpring. 
