Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1873-09-19
SOME E.vTERRsTI.N'G F.fCTS
.FBOUT TO.fDS.

In the summers of 1855 an old toad
used to sit under the door of beehive,
every fine evening, and deXterousy pick
up those bees who, over-aden or tired,
missed the doorstep and fell to the ground.
He lost, by some accident, an eye, and it
was observed by some members of the
family as well as myself that he had with
it lost the ability to pick up u Nee at the first
trial-his tongue struck the gravel one side
the bee; but after several weeks practice
with one eye, he regained his old certainty
of aim. | have never seen our toad raise
his hands to crowd his food into his mouth,
as the European loads do, although he uses
them freely to wipe out of his mouth any
inedible or disagreeable substance. When
our toad gets into his mouth part of an in
sect too large for his tongue TO thrust down
his throat land have known Of their at
tempting a wounded humming bird he
resorts to the nearest stone and presses the
! protruding part of his mouthful against it,
and thus crowds il down his throat. This
can be observed at any time by tying To-
Gusts hind legs together and throwing it
before a small toad. On one occasion 1
gave yellow-striped locust TO a little toad
in its second summer, when he was in the
middle of very wide gravel walk. In
moment he had the locust's head down his
throat, its hinder parts protruding and
started for a stone or clod; but finding
none at hand in either direction, he lower
ed his head and crept along, pushing the
locust against the ground. But the angle
with the ground was too small and my
walk too well rolled To increase the angle
he Strengthened his hind legs up, but in
vain. At length he threw up his hind
quarters and actually stood on his head, or
rather on the locust sticking out of his
mouth, and after repeating this once or twice
succeeded in getting himself outside of his
dinner. But these instances of ingenious
adaptation to the circumstances were ex-
ceeded by four-year-old toad at Antioch
College. l was tossing him earth-worms
while digging, and presently threw him 50
large a specimen that he was obliged TO at
tack one end only. That end was instant
ly transferred to his stomach, the other end
writing free in air and cOiled about the
toad's head. He waited until the worms
writings gave him a chance, swallowed
half an inch, then, taking a nip with his
jaws, waited for chance TO draw in anoth-
err half-inch. But there were so many half
inches, TO dispose of that at length his jaws
grew tired, lost their iirmness of grip,
and the worm crawled out five-eighths of
an inch between each half-nch swallowing.
The toad, perceiving this, brought his right
hand TO aid his jaws, grasping his abdomen
with his foot, and by little effort getting
hold of the worm in his stomach from the
outside, he thus by his foot held fast TO
what he gained by each swallow, and
presently succeeded in getting the worm
entirely down. A garter snake was OBJ
served, this summer, in North Conway,
pushing toad down his throat by pushing
it against clods and stones, inst as the load
| crowds down locust. The amount which
toad can eat is surprising. Tuesday
morning, threw a squash bug to young
toad. lie snapped it up, but Immediately
rejected it wiped his mouth with great Gu
ergy, and then hoped away with extraor-
binary rapidly. l was 50 much amused
that | gathered so ne more of the same
bugs, and carried them TO a iayorite old
toad at the northeast corner of the house.
He ate them all without making any faces.
gathered all that 1 could find on my vines,
and he ate them all to the number of %.
then brought him some larvae pygaera
ministra thre-quar,ers grown, and succeed
ed in enticng him to put 81 of them on top
If his squash-bugs. Finding that his virtue
was not proof against the calerpiilarS when
put them on the end OF Il straw, and tick
led his nose with them, lie at length turned
and crept under the piazza, where he re-
manned until Friday afternoon, digcsiing
his feast.-Poper read before the american
Science association by Thomas HiH.