The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-02-13
p. T. sARNUM's JOKE.
Strange Facts About a Small C,ea-
ture Who Lives In the Garden.
[Pittsburg Dispatch. !


When p. T. Barnum was in the museum
business in New York one of his most jovial
friends was Gaylord Clark, famous litter
ateur in the days of our fathers. They were
a well-matched pair of practical jokers
One day when Mr.. Clark dropped in at the
museum, as was his custom, Mr.. Barnum
apparently much excited, hurried his friend
into the private Office and sad: Gay lord,
/ was about to send for you. want your
advice. l have chance to purchase the
most wonderful Of all geological freaks. It
is at first perfect fish, then IL changes to a
four-legged land animal, then 1t climbs trees
and"
"fah, you're Joking" jnteriected Mr..
Clark.
"On my honor, 1 am not" impressiyely
replied the Snowman; "blt the expense"
Clark, brimful Of enthusiasm over the busi-
ness project of his friend; sif you can get
any such freak as that your fortunes made.
But what's the thing called?" -
the faintest suggestion Of twinkle 10 his
lett eye, 1t belongs to the batrachian family
the-the tadpole."
and toads are evolved from tadpoles, but
there are some very strange things about
these batrachians that possibly you don't
know. Because this changeling Is so we'll
kuOWu w ucdtlJ CtcIyUUuy IL may De dis.
missed by saying that it Is born with si ii
and lives entirely under water until it
reaches the transformation period: then
lungs appear in place of the gills, the tail
drops on, legs spront out, and an animal
fitted to live on land is the result.
The toad, which is one product of the tad
pole, has some wonderful peculiarities. Did
you ever see this clumsy and rather law
looking hopper in the act Of catching fiS ?
He darts his tongue out several inches, 90
Ont0k1U that bQrdIv nd xuifh
all its activity the fly hasn't the ghost of a
chance TO escape. How does the toad do
this? You may have heard the saying that
a termagant's tongue Is hung In the middle
and thus wags at both ends. In the case Of
the toad the tongue Is hung exactly the re-
verse Of the human tongue, that is to say,
the fastening is at the front Of the Jaw,
while the loose end hangs backward to the
throat. Now when the lazy toad sights fly
he works his way up to 1t slowly, until he
gets within range for his tongue shooter.
Then he suddenly opens his mouth, the
tongue flies out lihe line from fishing.
pole. 1t strikes the fly. and glutnous SUB
stance on the tongue holds the victim until
10 Is dumped into the toad's capacious
mouth.
Another strange thing about the toad is
that II its mouth be kept open the animal
Will suffocate. This Is because 1t has no ribs
and no means Of dilating its chest, and there
foIe IL lnust swallow air as II swallows its
eeo NC lutCiUly kept open tine
ar VIII pass to the stomach instead of en-
term the lungs. There is one variety ot
toad that has no tongue at all. 1t inhabits
dark places In Guiana and Surinam. The
way IN Wnlcn the eggs Of this animal are
Matched is as wonderful as its iineual pecn.
liarity. The male toad places the eggs in
little pits on the back OF his spouse and
afixes a lid for each pit. Then the female
goes about her household duties something
in the style of an Inuian sqnaw with a pa
poose strapped upon her back. After some
days little toadlets are Matched from the
eggs on the maternal back, and when they
are strong enough they force the lids OF the
pits and hop out,