Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1890-02-06
THE TREE TOAD.
What 1 Learned Concerning This Curious
Little Animal.

What Learned Concerning This Curious
Little Animal.
While walking on country road one
cool morning in June, / noticed small
object on the edge of board fence
which excited my curiosity. The object
was about two inches long, and looked
like piece of putty which had been
pinched on the board, or perhaps more
like the light gray fungous growth seen
on decayed trees.
i approached cautiously, having a
strong feeling that it might be thing
of life, although there was nothing
about it to indicate that it was such.
When near enough to touch it, ! felt
confident that it was a tree-toad. even
though had never before seen one. Its
little head and rump were drawn down
and partially under, and its legs and
feet were drawn up and folded so closely
to the body as to make an almost SYM
metrical figure, the lines where
the limbs touched the body be-
ing almost imperceptible. With;
a feeling of JOY / closed my
hand over it, and removed it
from the.fence. To the sensitive palm
OF the hand it's touch was cool but not
moist or 'clammy," as in the case of
its cousins, the common toad and the
frog. Its skin felt smooth and silky.
For fear of smothering the little fellow
made pouch Of my handkerchief,
putting a stone in the bottom of it to
make it roomy and in that way brought
him home for closer acquaintance.
When placed on the center of the
library table, he sat for moment as If
TO collect his thoughts, and then sprang
blindly, as it seemed, over the tables
edge, and caught with one toe on an OBJ
ject which he was passing, and which
he could not have seen from where he
started. Although going with great
swifsness, the strength of that single
slender toe, rounded on the end with its
curious little sucker, was sufficient to
enable him to stop and draw himself up
in good form. He then hoped on to the
round Of chair, and to give him q
good opportunity to display his wonder
full agility, tipped the chair on one
leg and revolved it slowly, he hopping
from round to round, up, down and
across, seemingly enjoying it as much
as his audience did. At first when
touched he appeared startled, and would |
jump. In one of these jumps he landed |
on the surface of the pier-glass on which |
he moved up or down with sort of |
salf-shuffle and half-hop. Soon he |
evinced no fear on being touched, and |
on being stroked gently on the back
L L.
wink in that direction.
Having given us such an interesting |
entertainment, considered that he de- |
served his freedom again. Taking him
in my hand held him up about three
feet from an old apple-tree at the side
of the house. He seemed in no hurry to
take his departure, but crawled leisure
ly up on the tips of my fingers, his little
toes clasp firmly around them, surveyed
for moment the group surrounding
him, and the next instant alighted on
the bark of the tree.
We waited for some time, curious to
see his next movement, but he made
none. watched closely for any change
of color in his coat, for / had read that
tree-toads, like chameieons, change
their color and so render themselves al
most undistinguishable from their sur
roundings;but there was none, and he was
perfectly plain to the sight ofany whosaw
him gain the position; but another per-
son joining the group could not discern
him for some time, although his loca-
ton was pointed out
After awhile, our attention for mo-
ment being drawn elsewhere, he had dis
appeared completely, and the sharpest
pair of eyes could not trace him, nor had
he left the tree. This would tend to
prove that whether or not he could
adapt his color to match his surround
ings, he certainly possessed the faculty
ct getting on to places most like his coat
in appearance.
The more marked points of difference
noted between the tree and the common
toad are: the oslor, which in the tree
toad might be described as that of wood
ashes on the back and sides, the under
parts being white tinged with bright
yellow on the edges; the structure,
which is simmer and more graceful
than that of the common variety, the
limbs being round, slender and at the
same time muscular. the toes ending in
little round nat suckers; and the habit
OF turning their toes outward, in order
tne more firmly to grasp the tree trunk
tins Characteristic being more marked
with the toes Of the forefeet, and almost
me reverse Of the position of those of
mo common toad or frog; the skin !