214 
NATURE NOTES 
they require. One day the middle of harvest, when one would expect to find the 
finch tribe busy in the corn fields, I saw a number of sparrows surrounding a pied 
wagtail, which was engaged in driving them from a spot on the lawn. As soon 
as the wagtail rushed at them in one direction the sparrows crowded in from the 
other. The cause of contention was a swarm of ants in the turf. Just now many 
birds, such as thrushes, blackbirds and starlings, have forsaken my premises 
owing to the impossibility of obtaining insect food in the parched ground. 
August, 1901. Edmund Thos. Daubeny. 
Young Toads and Frogs, and their Movements. — The annual 
exodus of young frogs and toads from the ponds and ditches, where they have 
been bred, generally takes place late in the summer, or early in the autumn. 
The state of the weather in the previous spring probably influences the time of 
departure to some extent. In a cold, backward spring, the spawning season 
would be rather later than usual and the development of the tadpoles retarded, 
and vice versd. The first heavy fall of rain in August generally starts them off 
in great numbers, though they often take advantage of earlier spells of wet 
weather. During the transition stage from tadpole to frog or toad, these pretty 
and interesting little creatures live a semi-aquatic life at the very margin of the 
water, where they have been hatched. Here they gradually become fitted for 
existence on land, passing more and more of their time out of water. The more 
forward individuals may be found- climbing actively about the stems and blades 
of grass and various waterside plants, but never venturing far from their native 
element, unless the grass is wet with dew or rain, when they travel rather further 
afield. At this period of their existence they are often smaller than the tadpoles 
from which they have been developed, and scarcely larger than the common 
house fly ; and the shining skins of the young toads look quite black. It is not 
until the tail has been wholly absorbed and both pairs of legs fully developed, 
that they finally leave their old home, and spread themselves abroad over the 
face of the country. Up to this time their minute size and the nature of their 
haunts has done much to shield them from observation, but once on their travels 
they are sure to attract attention. The sudden appearance after rain of great 
multitudes of these little animals about the roads and in all sorts of unwonted 
places, has given rise to many sensational accounts of W'onderful showers of frogs 
and toads, supposed to have been drawn up into the clouds by waterspouts and 
returned to earth with the rain. The perseverance of these little fellows, shown 
in their determined and unwearied efforts to surmount such obstacles as bar their 
path, is remarkable. Their climbing powers are considerable, but the scaling of 
a steep bank is, nevertheless, a formidable undertaking. It is amusing to watch 
one of these tiny creatures, when, with his fellows, he encounters such a barrier. 
He applies himself to his task with great energy. Again and again, after climb- 
ing a lew inches of bank, the loose earth gives w’ay and down he comes to the 
bottom, but nothing daunted he redoubles his efforts, till at last his perseverance 
is rewarded. • Having scaled the dizzy height, the whole company pass onwards 
to meet with and overcome other difficulties. Great numbers, no doubt, perish 
during their travels, being trodden to death or else dev’oured by ducks, fowls, 
pheasants, and various other birds, and also by rats and hedgehogs. I once 
noticed a cock calling the hens together to partake of some dainty he held in his 
beak, which proved to be a small toad. The young frogs requiring more moisture 
than toads, do not extend their journeys so far, but keep more to low lying ground 
and the vicinity of water. When quite young toads are lively, merry little 
creatures, and full of animation, but as they grow older they gradually acquire 
the dull lethargic temperament of the full-grown animal. After heavy rains, when 
the ground is everywhere sodden with moisture, adult frogs will often travel about 
a good deal, and are then apt to make their appearance in places where at other 
times they are never seen. 
Blaxhall, Suffolk. Geo. T. Rope. 
Frogs Migrating. — I had written to my brother. Captain Giles Daubeny, 
respecting the “ migration ” of frogs and toads previous to seeing Mr. Westell’s 
reference to the matter. What they noticed I have seen here year after year. I 
<lo not think it can be looked upon as a case of migration in the ordinary sense of 
the word. These creatures leave the water in which they were born as soon as 
