The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-26
usEs RON ToADs AND BArs.
Roth Grent Iuscct Kiiiors ana Capable or
BriuE Wade Iuto rtonsrhoid Eets.


WORCESTER. Doc. 25.-Dr. Clifton f. Hodge.
assistant professor OF physiology and neurol.
ogy at Clark University in this city, has been
dovoting n good deal Of time OF lato to the intro
duction OF nature study In tho public schools,
and in preparing tho subjects TO DO placed be.
fore tho children for investigation he has
learned some interesting facts. He has found
that the common brown bat can DO domcs.
ticated; that the garden toad. with proper on
couragement, will keep q house free from flies;
and that. IL tho waters of n district are kept
well stocked with fish and tadpoles, tho mos
quito pest can BIO reduced to reasonable limits.
Before setting the children ut work DIR. Hodge
made personal observations Of the toad in captiv-
ity. He constructed a small pen in his garden,
and In It, in n pan of water. installed n malo and
n female toad. To attract food for them he
placed within tho inclosuro bits of meat and
bone. The results were as satisfactory as thcy
were unexpected. The toads spont most OF their
time sitting within reaching distance OF the bait,
and killing tho flies attracted by IL. Tho female
laid her eggs in the water OF the pan and In duo
pcarance. Thtro was really no neod OF the i'm
prisoninR walls of wire netting; the prisoners
S Sops mot no. have have, SH Gen } hired mnrt to Ss sSppS,t The iron neigh sbo
experiment. They had never had so few flies to
annoy them: Then DIR. Hodge established an
loads wcro to BIO seen squatting about q sii Glo
bone, each swapping up every. fy that came
near. inc IHCU BBBu1Cu 10 Ut cSIhDlibnCu tnNt u
loads were encouraged to frequent the gardens
there would be very much less annoyance FROM
flies during the dog days. "a,
Another OF DR.. Hodges experiments was with
bats. Ills attention, was turned to them through
tho Goblin moth, tho insect to blame for most
worm eaten apples: In an orchard near his home
DIR. Hodge found nine Of the grubs OF this insect
in a minute, Changing to 60 into +, another sni
only four Of the, grubs In an hours search.
There is an old barn near by in which live n
owner of the farm informed tho doctor that his
apples were always tree from worms. The
tho prubs. which were greenily accepted. The
Goblin moth flies only nj, night; the same is trpo
Of tho bat. Putting the facts together. Or.
cumstnntial, evidence that tho bat was a very
useful friend of the apple grower.
Pr Hodge took hGl6 2 dozen :; Of the bats ats home 2
first they greeted any friendly advances with
chattering anger. After little while they be-
came came quite gu eo tame sb sna wW whSnf eT n th hsnP > fnr ao en- :
They never, reached, the point Of allow.
ing themselves to ho handled. but they
the top OF The window draperies. and when
night came. and sometimes in the daytime. they
would spend their time flying about the room,
family fsndiy'''i DR.. Hodge would occasionally feed
them with insects In tho evening, releasing net
full after netful of the riRht-aying.v varieties. and
never q bug remained in the morning. They took
everything. from a spider to n polyphemus moth,
One morning the doctor counted whilco one bal
devoured sixty.eight house flies. He believes
that the bat would DO almost as susceptible tc
Observation of fish In his aquariums has shown
DR.. Hodge that they are the natural enemies Of
the MOSQUITO. They are very fond Of the lHrva
sixty.ave and seventy wrigslers in a single
that tadpoles, both Of frogs and toads, are in
veterate enemies Of the embryo mosquito.