The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-10-24
NG TMEGRAPH- PHIADELPHA THURSDAY OCTOBER "a,

Edward Stanley. In June, 1880, he confined
three toads, each in flower. pot and buried |
them four feet deep. In the following March |
they were all dead. Then he corked up two
others in glass bottles, one hermetically closed
the other with small hole in the estopper The
first died in forty-eight hours; the other
seemed to be dying in about a fortnight. lie
was then unbotted, put under fiower-pot on
moist garden-earth, grew lively, and was set
at liberty. In words that sound like
mockery this clergyman says:-'I had the
pleasure of seeing it crd,0l off under every
symptom of entire convaescence." Tortures
inflicted for so tritling purpose, and ending
in results so worthless almost make one wish
that for while at least the toads and their
toImentors could have been made to change
places. Which of them would have then
believed that mot a sparrow falleth to the
ground without your Heavenly Fathers
notice i''
will finish this article by quoting some
passages from the letter of young friend who
is endeavoring to domesticate toad, and who
in this letter 'reports progress, and asks leave
to sit again:"-
"Satrday.--I ran into the garden to look for
a toad. IL is hard 10 find them in the daytime
but soon saw one, and then put on my gloves
and gave chase. / thought that 1 really meant
to catch him. lie hoped and ran, stopped
ana Pe Sn MY nG he aTe oTs Very
prompt, and his ,Ccre; and presently, to my
great satisfaction %, he hoped through the
pickets and escaped l guess 1 was as glad
as ne.
again, and after some search found big toad
under CuTIant- bush. SummOning up all my
courage, grasped him with my gloved hand,
him! I never felt toad before with good
deal Of trepidation managed to put him into
purpose; but to my amazement he hoped in
santly through one OF the SEED, hoIes, Whlcn
erty But caught him again-shuddering as 1
did befOre-put him INTO the cage, covered up
| the seed and water. holes, rushed to the house,
and exhibited my prisoner. We all admired
the beauty of his eyes; but his Warty and Watery
| skin was disgusting, ana MS aglivltg In tryln{
| to get out was beyond all belief Presently
placed the cage on the grass under the dining
| room window, and took a seat indoors TO
watch him. In less than hVe minutes he turned
himself edgewise, orced himself through be-
| tween the wires and escaped Not expecting
| such an escapade, had taken offmy gloves and
now if l caught him it must be with my naked
han nds-and1 did 1t! AS seized his damp, cold,
| knobby, bloated body AN indescribabe shudder
ran through me, extending to my very toes.
| He wet my hand, but did not let go until
had put him back into the cage; and then wrap
| ping shawl round it, sat down on the piazza,
| quite faint and weak with the struggle. He re-
| NAMED still for a while but presently began
| leaping upward over and among the perches in
| the cage, sometimes actually olinging to the
| top wires, showing the whity yellow under side
| badly as when l had him IN my hand. He
seemed so nearly frantic that concluded to let
|
| bush, 1 opened his prison door and came away
leaving him to come out at his pleasure.
| $50 much for my first day of toad'taming!
"Mondoy, p. MI resolved to try again
| Bnp gipg down from the garTet an old patent
lour;sitIer, converted it into Gage and then
ran into the garden, caught my victim, i'm;
| prisoned him, brought him 10 the house, and
carried him up to my own chamber, and placed
| him in Of the windows opening on the
| piazza 1901, where l left him TO mediate till
after tea. After tea 1 brought him down, set
| the cage on the table, and offered him a success
| sion Of flies He seemed quite calm, be-
haved very well, but would not notice
placed de bis cage as Before When vent ap to
bed had forgotten all about him, but just as
nose iooked towards the window and saw the
| toad sprawling along on the outside of his
cage. / uttered one scream, and sprang upon
the bed He gave one leap, and fell upon the
in to my relief Toady hoped about the
chamber with alarming agility; and there l
balf laughing, and wholly afraid to get down
and recapture the 'contrabdnd,' called to Del
TO come in and catch him. and she exhorted
me Through the keyhole) get down and
catch him., and each stoutly refused to do any
l charged at him with a towel, covered
nm nm 81, selzeG hlmi n, IN, and called out Del
ventuled to open the door almost an inch,
and peep IN. suppose l must lave relaxed
my grasp, for just that instant the toad leaped d
out from under the towel. Del screamed and
81 mined to the door, and L screamed and
jumped up again on the bed. Very soon, how
ever feeling rather ashamed of my cowardice
put ON my gloves, once more enveloped the
toad in the towel, carried him down stairs
opened the back door, and dropped him on the
grass. went to bed disgusted with toads, and
rather mortified at my want of courage, besides
seeming to have lost all faith in the wisdom OF
trying TO establish and maintain friendly rela-
tions with the lower orders of animals.
" Observation-Disclosures toad adVenturel This
afternoon, at uncle Sans, one of his little boys
came In with toad in his hand. He treated it
just as though it were pet bird. Uncle took
IL, patted IT, played with it, tickled its stomach
with one of his fingers until the toad actually
laughed out loud-at least he sWelled up and
made sort of chucklipg noise that sounded
something like laughing Then uncle persuaded
me TO take il, first in one hand, then In the
other, then in both together, without gloves:
and did so, and kept on doing so until all my
uncomfortable feelings passed away, and I
began to think that Toad, well trained might
become very tolerable pet I have made up
my mind to keep one In a sort of pen in the
garden, where can feed it regularly, and study
its disposition and habits. After a months
trial perhaps will send you an account of my
experiment." zH4sissa .ss.s EaSNa sssss
have written encouragingly to my cores
pondent, and in due time hope to receive a
H. Il