1875. ] 
TOADS AND THE GOOSEBERRY GRUB. 
179 
extremity, and so swallowed. The whole process is inconceivably rapid, so 
much so, indeed, that only a practised observer would be aware of what had taken 
place. Being induced to pay great attention to the feeding of toads by what I 
had read, I believe I can positively assert that these most useful reptiles always 
require living food, and always wait for the object, be it what it may, to move 
before seizing it. I have never been able to induce a toad to seize a dead 
grub, or a dead fly, or motionless food of any kind, so that I feel very 
sceptical as to the truth of those amusing anecdotes of feeding tame toads on 
bread and milk, and other succulent preparations. I have never found any remedy 
for the ravages of the gooseberry-grub. I utterly repudiate as worthless all 
chemical preparations of any kind, except whitewash. I cannot, indeed, doubt 
the efficacy of whitewash, but I question whether the cure is not worse than the 
disease. Then the toad remedy has its difficulties, but these are not insuperable. 
If you collect toads in a walled garden, they must of necessity remain there for a 
time ; if you shake the gooseberry-bushes of an evening the grubs must needs 
fall, and the toads will be sure to devour them. 
The gooseberry-grub always enters the ground before it can undergo its trans¬ 
formation. If the earth beneath the gooseberry-bush be trampled hard, it is 
difficult for the grubs to force their way beneath the surface, and therefore they 
wander about, exposed to birds by day and toads by .night; thousands also fall a 
prey to carnivorous ground-beetles, which seem to subsist entirely on night-walk¬ 
ing worms and caterpillars. There is little doubt that the hardening of the 
surface-soil sometimes interferes with the free growth of plants ; but as rapid and 
luxuriant growth is antagonistic to fruit-bearing, this hardening, by preventing 
too luxuriant growth, is likely to be beneficial rather than injurious. I think we 
are all too much inclined to make gardening laws of too general application; and 
because the lightest possible surface is desirable in the cultivation of tender 
annuals, to argue it must also promote the fruit-bearing of gooseberry and 
currant-bushes—which reasoning does not hold good. 
Nature has created at least one insect enemy of the gooseberry-grub, a species 
of Ghrysopa, called the lace-wing fly or aphis-lion. This enemy is very beautiful, but 
of very disagreeable scent; it has four wings of exactly similar size and character, 
delicately reticulated like gauze, a green body and head, and two brilliant golden 
eyes. So far it is a loveable and an attractive creature ; but when you touch it, 
it emits such an insufferably disgusting smell, that you are glad to get rid of it, 
and literally to wash your hands of so offensive a creature. This fly hovers 
lazily about the currant or gooseberry-bushes wherever she observes the parent 
flies laying their eggs. After a short survey, she selects a particular leaf, the 
veins of which, so prominent on the under-side, have just been beaded with the 
oblong eggs of the gooseberry-grub ; then, feeling perfectly satisfied that there is 
abundant promise of provender for her future family, she proceeds to the very 
edge of the leaf, and discharging a drop of glue, lifts up her body, and the glue, 
being pulled out to the length of half an inch or more, is thus formed into a 
