The Arizona sentinel., 1886-09-18
NUMBER 42.


 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, To! it is gone like flash. The quiver of a wing, the twitching of leg, is enough to precipitate its doom.
 We wonder how many people take heed of the fact that the despised little toad is one of the gardeners most val ued friends, and that he is a regular night watchman over the vegetable gardens? Very few of us know what a very useful fellow this creature is, although some are waking up to the knowledge of it, and among these wise folks are the market-gardeners of Lon- don and Paris, who know their value so we'll that they buy them by the --dnzeps and turn them into their hot . Deas.. 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- quitoes and ants. They need but to see an insect stir, and out flashes that wonderful tongue. And, prestol where is it? 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 a large insect, like 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 manner that is as novel as it is comical They catch him at Gaybreak from the field or garden, kill him, and turn his stom- ach wrong side out in pan of water. Of course all the recently-caught in- sects float to the surface, at the ento- mOlogists' service. This looks like rather cruel method of studying entomology, does it not? But the truth is, that the humble little toad is a more expert catcher and discoverer than his human superior. and out of his rif1ed stOre-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 saYants.
 It is not alone winged insects that the toad feasts upon. There is noth- ing he likes better, for change of diet, than 8 nice, fat worm, and, as the children say, ''it is as good as play to see him eating worm-one that wriggles and twists and squirms as if it knew it had fallen into the hands of a relentless enemy. And it is literally the hands of its captor that are fatal to it, for it would be simply impossible for the toad to swallow his wriggling victim, did he not use his fore paws exactly as 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- ishes, and our toad sits quietly at ease, with all the satisfaction of full stom- ach twinkling in his eyes.
 If any one supposes that our friend tine toad is obliged to wear but one suit of clothes all his life, that person is mls- taken. He orders complete new outfit every now and then, of a most expert work-woman, one Dame Nature; and as for his old suit, newell, we will see how he takes it off first, before dis pos no of it, which he does in a most unique manner. Dame Nature, work ing silently and secretly, as is her way, makes him a new suit beneath the old one, and then kindly helps him to re- move the outgrown garments, so to speak. This done, our toad commences to undress by rubbing his elbows hard against his sides, and pressing down. ward. Directly, the old suit bursts open along his back, and he keeps on rubbing until he has worked it all in folds on his sides and hips; then he seizes one of his hind legs with his '.hands," and hauls off one leg of his trousers; and next the other leg is served in the same way. Before he takes off the rest of his suit, he disposes of his cast-off trousers by rolling them up neatly and showing them down his throat. Then, by raising and lowering his head, and swallowing little by little, he hauls off his coat until he comes to the sleeves. Grasping one of these with the opposite hand, he drags it of, wrong side out, and swallows it also, rubbing his neck at the same time, so that his collar, cravat, and, in fact, every vestige of his old suit, disappears altogether Who shall say that the toad is not marvel of political econ- omy? Who of us, however poor, eats up his old clothes?
 Our little friend is a great stay-at- home. Indeed, he is so noted in this respect that wonderful stories have been told about him regarding it, such as his going into hole in tree and staying there so long that the tree had time to spread its bark over the en- trance, and seal up the toad in its tiny house. There are other stories, too, of young toad having crept through a little crevice into hollow rock, to hibernate through the winter, and be- ing unable to leave it in the spring, be- cause of the rapid increase in its size. And vet, in both these cases the toads were found alive and hearty, even after years must have elapsed since their i'm 
 Now, these stories are true thus far; but when you go on to state that these toads were dramatically sealed up. and lived without food or air, they go further than the truth warrants. In every case on record, it has been proven that some slight aperture exist ed, whence both air and insects could and did pass Tn to the prisoner Golden Dn1le