Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-06-05
TOads in the Garden.

TOADs often come to the surface in the
newspapers, and pretty soon we may ex-
pect them to come again to the surface of
the ground in search of the summer in
sects upon which they exclusively feed.
We know gardeners, who certainly know
what they are about, who buy up all the
toads they can get, and they amply repay
their cost in the destruction of insects and
larvae.
Many persons have a loathing of this
really interesting but certainly not hand
some bufo, the result of superstition, or
want of education. 1t is time we learned
that they cannot bite any more than gar
ter snake, and if they could that the bite
would be equally as harmless We sup
pose the fiction that they carry jewel in
their head is no longer believed, Shaks-
peare to the contrary Notwithstanding;
yet the latter is more true than the former
indeed it is half true. They carry two,
their eyes, at least, are as bright IS any
jewels that ever sparkled in diadcrn.
They are the most innocent of creatures
that ever ate indiscriminately anything
that had life that they could swallow that
came within reach They are worth more
per head to the horticulturist than chick
ems, even allowing that chickens did not
scratch, and to put our readers thoroughly
in good humor with these insect-deyour-
ers, we reproduce the following story by
Dr. Harris:
He supposed the odor of the squash bug
(co7eus I'risti0 would protect it from the
toad; and to test the matter he offered one
to grave-looking bufo under a cabbage
lie seized it eagerly, but spit it out in
stantly, reared up on his hind legs and
put his front feet on the top of his head
for an instant, as ifin pain, and then disap-
peared across the garden in series of the
greatest leaps toad ever made Perhaps
the bug bit the bitter Not satisfied with
this, DR.. II. hunted up another toad, which
lived under the piazza, and always summed
himself in one place in the grass, and of
fered him squash bug, which he took
and swallowed winking in very satisfied
manner Twenty other fine bugs followed
the first, in a few moments, with no diff
Guilty or hesitation in the taking or the
swallowing, though from the wriggling
and contortions, it appeared their corners
did not set well within. The stock of
bugs being then exhausted, colony Of
smooth black larvae was found on white
birch, each about three quarters of an inch
long, and over 100 Of these were fed to the
waiting toad. Touching one of them with
the end of straw it would coil around
it, and then when shaken before him he
would seize and swallow it, at first eager
ly, but with diminished zest as the num-
Der increased, until it became necessary
to rub the worm against his lips for some
time before he could decide about it. He
would then take it and sit with his lips
ajai for a short time, gathering strength
and resolution, and then swallow by des-
perate effort There is no telling what the
number or result would have been, as the
dinner-bell rang as the 101st disappeared,
and by the close of the meal he had retired
to his hole, nor did he appear for four
days in his summing place. 1t is to be
hoped that he slept well, but there might
have been Nightmares Western Ruraz.