T O A 
^rlng. When we new-layed the fheps, I had two 
holes'made in the third ftep, each with a hollow 
of more than a yard long, for it; in which I ima- 
gine it flept, as it came from thence at it's firfl: 
appearance. It was feldom provoked. Neither 
that Toad, nor the multitudes I have feen tor- 
mented with great cruelty, ever fhewed the lead 
defirc of revenge, by fpitting, or emitting any juice 
from their piii\ples. Sometimes, upon taking it 
up, it would let out a great quantity of clear wa- 
ter, which, as I have often feen it do the fame 
upon the fteps when quite quiet, was certainly 
it's urine, and no more than a natural evacuation. 
Spiders, millepedes, and fleflvmiaggots, feem to 
be this animal's favourite food. I imagine, if a 
bee was to be put before a Toad, it would cer- 
tainly eat it to it's coft; but, as bees are feldom 
ftirring at the fame time that Toads are, they 
rarely come in their way ; as they do not appear 
after fun-rifing, or before fun-fet, 
' I once, from my parlour-window, obferved 
a larae Toad I had in the bank of a bowling- 
green, about twelve at noon, a very hot day, very 
bufy and a6tive upon the grafs. So uncommon 
an appearance made me go out to fee what it 
was; v.'hen I found an innumerable fwarm of 
winged ants had dropped round his hole; which 
temptation was as irrefiftible as a turtle would be 
to a luxurious alderman. 
' In refpeft to it's end, had it not been for a 
tame raven, I make no doubt but it would have 
been now living. This bird, one day feeing it at 
the mouth of it's hole, pulled it out; and although 
I refcued it, pulled out one eye; and hurt it fo, 
that notwithftanding it's living a twelvemonth, it 
never enjoyed, itfelf; and had a difficulty of taking 
it's food, miffing the mark for the want of it's 
eye. Before that accident, it had every appear- 
ance of perfe6t health.' 
To this account of the Toad's inoffenfive qua- 
lities, we fliall fubjoin another from Valifnieri, to 
prove that, even taken internally, the Toad is no 
way dangerous. 
* In the year 1692, fome German foldiers, who 
had taken poffeffion of the caftle of Arceti, find- 
ing that the peafants of the country often amufed 
themfelves in catching frogs, and dreffing them 
for the table, refolved to provide themfelves with 
a fimilar entertainment, and made preparations 
for frog-fifhing in the fame manner. It may ea- 
fily be fuppofed that the Italians and their Ger- 
man guefts were not very fond of each other; and 
indeed it is natural to think, that the foldiers gave 
the poor people of the country very good reafon 
for difcontent. They were not a little pleafed, 
therefore, when they faw ithem go to a ditch 
^■where Toads, inftead of frogs, were found in great 
abundance. The Germans, no way diilinguifh- 
ing in their fport, caught them in great numbers; 
while the peafants kept looking on, filently flat- 
tering themfelves with the hopes of fpeedy re- 
venge. After being brought home, the Toads 
were drelTed up after the Italian fafhion; the pea- 
fiints, quite happy at feeing their tyrants devour 
them with fo good an appetite, and expecting 
every moment to fee them drop down dead. Bur, 
what was their furprife, to find that the Germans 
continued as well as ever; and only complained 
of a night excoriation of the lips, which probably 
arofe from fome other caufe than that of their re- 
paft !' 
Solenander likewife relates the following ftory. 
T O A 
^ A tradefman of Rome and his wife had Icjicr 
lived together with mutual difcontent. The man 
was dropfical, and the woman amorous. This ill- 
matched fociety promifed loon, by the very infirm 
(late of the man, to have an end: but the v/oman 
was unwiiiing to wait the progrcfs of the difor- 
der; and therefore concluded that, to get rid of 
her hufband, nothing was wanting but poifon. 
For this purpofe flie made choice of a doie which 
fhe fuppofed would be the moll efFeftual ; and 
having calcined fome Toads, mixed their powder 
with his drink. 
' The man, after taking a hearty dofe, found 
no confiderable inconvenience, except that it 
greatly promoted urine. His wife, who confi- 
dered this as an incipient fymptom of the venom, 
refolved not to flint the next dofe, but gave it in 
greater quantities than before. This alfo increafed 
the former fymptom; and, in a few days, the wo- 
man had the mortification to fee her detefted huf- 
band reflored to perfefl health ; and remained ia 
utter defpair of ever being a widow.' 
From the foregoing relations, it will, we doubc 
not, be extremely evident what unjuft prejudices 
have been entertained againft this animal; and 
that mankind have been taught to confider as an 
enemy a creature which, by defliroying numbers 
of the infedl tribe, frees them from real invaders. 
We may therefore regard, as fables and VLllgar 
errors, thofe accounts which reprefent the Toad 
as pofTefiTed of venom to kill at a diftance; of it's 
ejedling it's venom, which burns wherever it 
touches; of it's infefting thofe vegetables near 
which it refides; and of it's cxcefTive fondnefs for' 
fage, which it renders poifonous by it's approach. 
Thefe, and many others of the fame kind, moft 
probably originated from an antipathy which fome 
perfons have to all animals of the genus. The 
Toad is certainly a harmlefs, defencelefs creature; 
flow, and unvenomous; and feeks the darkefl re- 
treats, not from the malignity of it's nature, but 
the multitude of it's enemies. 
During the feverity of winter, the Toad, like 
all the frog kind, becomes torpid. It then makes 
choice of either the hollov/ root of a tree, the 
clift of a rock, or the bottom of a pond, for it's 
retreat, where it is fometimes found in a flate 
of infenfibility. As it is very long lived, fb it 
is extremely tenacious of life. It's fkin is tough, 
and not eafily pierced; and the animal, though 
covered with wounds, continues to fhew figns 
of life, and every part appears in motion. But 
for the flory of it's exifting whole centuries in 
the bofom of a rock, or cafed within the body of 
an oak tree, without the fmalleft accefs on any 
fide either for nourifliment or air, and yet taken 
out alive and perfeft, we can by no means ac- 
count. 
It would perhaps be as uncandid to contra- 
dift, as difficult to believe, relations of this fort: 
we have the moil refpeilabie authorities witneffing 
for their truth; and yet the whole analogy of na- 
ture feems to arraign them of falfhood. Bacon 
afferts, that Toads are fometimes difcovered in 
this manner; Plot confirms his teftimony; and to 
this day there is a marble chimney-piece at Chatf- 
worth having the print of a Toad on. it, with a 
tradition of the manner in which it was found. 
In the Memoirs of the Academy of Sciences, we 
meet with an account of a Toad found alive and 
healthy in the heart of a very thick elm, without 
the fmalleft aperture for entrance or egrefs. In 
the 
