136 
ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 
frog, the skin of the former being studded 
with numerous warts. Moreover, the manner 
in which it progresses upon land is quite unlike 
that of the frog, for whereas the latter moves 
along in a series of leaps the toad usually does 
so by a curious crawling walk. It is by far 
the most intelligent of the batrachians, and 
not only will it become quite tame, but it will 
learn to recognize a human being who regularly 
feeds it. Its food consists of insects and 
worms, but in order to excite its appetite these 
must be on the move. 
Owing to the fact that it has no teeth the 
creature sometimes has some difficulty in 
swallowing an extra large worm. But it 
usually succeeds in getting the better of its 
prey, pushing the protruding and wriggling 
ends of the worm into its mouth with the aid 
of its hands. 
The last of the British tailless batrachians 
to be mentioned is the natterjack toad, a 
somewhat small species measuring barely two 
inches in length. It is by no means common, 
and very local in distribution. 
Its hind legs are so short that the creature 
is unable to jump, nevertheless it is able to 
get along with considerable speed by running 
with its body raised up from the ground. 
Further distinguishing features of this toad 
