Signal-Copiahan. (Hazlehurst, Copiah County, Miss.) 1885-1888, 1886-09-30
TOADS.

Food-The Gardeners Friend - Chang
Ing Their Clothes.
Did YOU ever sit quietly and watch
toad catching his supper? II not, just
try il. and you will lind that il Is
very interesting rs well ~ an amusing
sight. There he sits, on the edge OF
the path, his bright, bulging eyes fixed
in,en,ly on u fly that has just aIishtcd
close to him-so very close, in fact,
that YOU wonder what the toad Is watt
ing for, since he has only To dart ont
his tongue and whisk the fly down his
throat; but he does not do IL. No: he
STAYS mo,ionlrss, his eyes 'winkling
with cagcrncss; and II only that fly
knew what we know. the toad would
never touch him. for all he has TO do
Is to keep perfectly still until his foe
grows tired of waiting. Yes. that is
the secret Of the toad's delay. What.
ever the insect that he has selected for
his supper. it is safe from destruction
until it moves; but then. 10! IL is gone
like a flash. ThS quiver OF a.wing.
tile twitching of' n les. is enough to
rrccipiiatc IL doom.
We wonder how many people take
heed of the fact that the dcspiscd little
toad is one of the gardeners most val
ucd fri ,nds, and that he i regular
night watchman over the vegetable
garlcnsa Very few of Us know what
very useful fellow this creature i.
although some are waking up to the
knowledge of II, aud among these wise
folks are the markct-gardcncrs OF Lon
don and Paris. who know their value
so well that they buy them by the
dozen and turn them into their hot
beds, thus preserving theirplants from
insects. Not only in our gardens are
toads extremely useful. but in our
houses they are valuable allies; for
they do no harm To Us, but very much
To our sworn enemies, such as cock
reaches, moths, crickcts, flies. mos
quitocs and ants. They need but to
see an insect stir. and out flashes that
wonderful tongue. And, presto!
where /, it? Why. down in the little
throat, landed at the exact spot where
the muscles can seize 1t and pass 1t ut
once to the stomach. And SD rapidly
is this done that when a large insect,
like cricket, grasshopper or beetle,
Is swallowed. the sides Of the toad may
BE- seen actually iwitching. from the
struggles of its still lively victim.
Entomoloyists press our friend the
toad into their service in II manner
that is rs novel as IL is comical. They
catch him at daybrcak from the field
or garden. Kill him, and turn his stom-
ach wrong side out in u pan OF water.
OF course all the reccntly.caught in
sects float to the surface, Mt the ento-
mologists' service. This looks like a
rather cruel method OF studying
entomology. does it not9 But the truth
Is, that the humble little toad is more
expert catcher and discovcrcr than his
human superior. and out of his riflcd
storc.house come treasures in the
shape of rare and tiny nocturnal in.
sects that but for his industry would
never have been known or classified by
our savants.
It's not alone winged insects that
the toad fcasts upon. There Is moth
Ing he likes better. for change OF
diet, than a nice, fat worm. and, as
the children say, '.it is as good as a
play" to see him eating a worm--onc
that wrigglcs and twists and sqnlrms
Us IL II knew 1t had fallen into the
hands of q relentless enemy. And II
Is literally the hands Of It's cap:or that
are fatal to It, for 1t would be simply
impossible for the toad to swallow his
wriggling victim. did he not use his
fore paws exactly as We uso our hands.
As 1t is, he is sublimsly indifferent to
his squinning. He sits calmly down
with 1t In his mouth, lifts one paw,
and gives 1t push further into his
mouth, and then he swallows, and
down 1t goes, Just little way. Then
up cores tho other paw for another
push. and at last, by alternate pushes
and swallows, the poor worm van.
ishes. and our toad sits quietly at ease,
with all tie satisfaction Of a full stom'
ach twinklipg in bis eyes