Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1886-10-26

beds, thus preserving their plants 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, crickets, flies, mos
qutoes and ants. They need but to
see an insect stir and out flashes that
wonderful tongue. And, presto!
where isitp Why, down in the little
throat, landed at the exact spot where
the muscles can seize it and pass it at
once to the stomach. And so rapidly |
is this done that when large insect,
like a cricket, grasshopper or beetle,
is swallowed, the sides of the toad may
be seen actually twitching, from the
struggles of its still lively victim.
Entomologists press our friend the
toad into their service in a manner
that is rs novel as it is comical. They
catch him at daybreak from the field
or garden, kill him, and turn his stom-
ach wrong side out in Il pan OF water.
OF course all the recently-caught in-
sects float to the surface, at the ento-
MOTORISTS service. This looks like n
rather cruel method of studying
entomology, does it notP But the truth
is, that the humble little toad is a more
expert catcher and dscoverer than his
human superior and out of his ritied
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.
tits not alone winged insects that
the toad feasts upon. There is moth
ing he likes better, for a change of
diet, than q nice, fat worm, and, as
the children say, ''it is rs good as
play to see him eating worm-one
that wriggles and twists and squirms
as il it knew it had fallOn into the
hands of relentless enemy. And II
is literally the hands OF its captor that
are fatal to it, for it would be simply
impossible for the toad to swallow his
wrigglng victim, did he not use his
fore paws exactly Us we use our hands.
As it is, he is sublimely indifferent to
his squirming. He sits calmly down
with it in his mouth, lifts one paw,
and gives it push further into his
, mouth, and then he swallows, and
, down it goes, Just little way. Then
= up comes the other paw for another
push, and at last, by alternate pushes
: and swallows, the poor worm van
5 ishes, and our toad sits quietly at ease,
with all the satisfaction Of full stom-
r ach twinkling in his eyes.
IL thaf fripnn
: the toad is obliged to wear but one suit
4 of clothes all his life, that person is mis-
taken. He orders Il complete new Quilt
$ every now and then, of most expert
, work-woman, one Dame Nature; and
4 as for his old suit, he--well, we will
4 see how he takes it oil first, before dis
4 posing of il, which he does in most
) unique manner. Dame Nature, work
r ing silently and secretly, as is her way,
h makes him a new suit beneath the old
v one, and then kindly helps him to re-
v move the outgrown garments, so tc
II speak. This done, our toad commences
: to undress by rubbing his elbows hard
% against his sides. and pressing down
,t ward. Directly, the old suit burst
a open along his back, and he keeps OF
j. rubbing until he has worked it all il
ID folds ON his sides and hips; then HI
% seizes one of his hind legs with hi
80 "hands, and hauls off one leg Of hi
10 trousers; and next the other leg
r. served in the same way. Before h
takes of the rest of his suit, he dispose
r of his cast-off trousers by rolling then
s up neatly and showing them down hi
" throat. Then, by raising and lowerin
,e his head, and swallowing little by little
G, he hauls off his coat until he comes t
ef the sleeves. Grasping one of these wit
the opposite hand, he drags it of
is wrong side out, and swallows it also
at rubbing his neck ut the same time, $
IN that his collar, cravat, and, in fact
er every vcstige OF his old suit, disappear
le altogether. Who shall say that til
MS toad is not marvel of political econ
Y. omyP Who of us, however poor, eat
so up his old clothesP
nv Our little friend is great stay-a
home. Indeed, he is so noted in thi
no respect that wonderful stories hav
r. been told about him regarding it, sue
to as his going into hole in tree an
staying llclV 81 iOiiH Ahoe ehO wv h''
er time to spread its bark over the ell
to trance, and seal up the toad In its tin
IT, house. There are other stories, too
re of young toad having crept throug
,r; little crevice into q hollow rock,
Ith hibernate through the winter, and b,
ne ing unable to leave it in the spring, b
ak cause of the rapid increase in its siz
And yet, in both these cases the toat
to were found alive and hearty, even aft,
of years must have elapsed since their in
IRE prisonment
or Now, these stories are true thus ia
IN. but when you go on to state that the
le- toads were Theoretically sealed u
Ter and lived without food or air, they
re. further than the truth warrants.
for every case on record, it has be(
proven that some slight aperture exis
ire cd. whence both air and insects cou
t a and did pass in to the prisoner.