Smyrna times., 1902-04-30
COLUMN OF INTEREST TO
SMYRNA PUBLIC SCHOOLS
A LETTER TO BOYS ANG GIRLS ABOUT
"TOADS AND FROGS AND THEIR USES"
Their First Song Of Spring. Their Interesting
Growth from the TadpOle tC the Frog, and
Their Questionable faIue.

] NiO"tu HOm Tue IdupOle 10 Tue frog, ana
Their Questionable Falue.
DEAR BOYS AND G1R1s:-Who is it
singing such sweet, drowsy lulabies
over In the ponds these warm daysand
nights? "Why, the frogs, of course, >"
L hear you say, and so it is. You know
they stop singing as soon as they hear
you coming, but if you keep very quiet
and still, they will commence again,
and II you watch closely, you may see
one big fellow up on the bank. Who
can tell where the song comes from?
People open their mouths when they
sing, but the frogs just have to pump a
big sack under their throats to make
the sound come. The lady frogs do
not sing, so it must be the papa frogs
who sing the baby frogs to sleep.
Did you ever see toad's eggs? If
not, you must try this spring to find
them. This is about the right time to
look for them, and you may find them
near the edge of any still pond, a long
string of black beady eggs encircled
by Jelly. Only the toad lays its eggs
III strings, so you cannot make a mis-
take. Frogs lay theirs in punches.
The egg is the beginning of the toad
just as it is of the chickens and the
ducks. Some day real soon YOU must
take pail or a glass jar and sweep up
some OF the eggs and take them to
school with you. Don't be afraid of
the green scum; it is only a mass of
tiny plants and very useful in keeping
the water pure for the frogs to breathe
Watch the eggs closely many times
day, and presently you will see them
commence to move and wiggle. Pretty
soon a lot of wee, black tadpoles with
long tails will be seen swimming about
the water. If you wish to watch them
grow, you must do what am going to
tell you now. Get big milk pan or a
large basin, put some mud and stones
and green scum from the pond in it.
arranging it so that it will slope like
the bank of pond. Then polr some
clear pond water into it and let it stand
until the mud has settled, when YOU
may put in the tadpoles that Matched |
from the eggs, or some from the pond |
II you are careful to get the blackest |
tadpoles. The others may be frogs.
Keep your basin in the light. but not |
IN the sun. See how the tadpoles come |
up to the surface of the water to
breathe. Notice, too, that every week |
the tail grows shorter and shorter
Presently legs will appear. Perhaps
some day you viii expect to see the
tail drop off. But, no, that will not
happen. 1t is Just gradually drawn
into the body and used up in the
growth OF some other parts. The little
tadpole Is almost toad now, except
thatits body is smooth instead of wartv.
Some day if you leave your pan out of
doors, you will find they have all gone
TO make living on the land.
DO not throw stones at the toad
- SSS ~ uOIlluR ABOUT IN |
mothers flower garden. Do YOU know
what it is doing? 1t is eating the in
sects and bugs that destroy so MANY
iowers and crops. He is one of our
best friends and entirely harmless.
Just watch how quickly he snaps up
The flies. His tongue is fastened at
,he front of his mouth instead of at the
back, and is coated with sticky sub
stance like that on fy-paper. When
he weather begins to get cold in the
all, the toad buries himself in some
soft earth where he goes to sleep for
he winter. This is called hibernat-
ng. Now look out for the toads. and
De sure you are kind to them. Next
line L will tell you something about
he flowers and some of their insect
visitors Yours very cordially,
CECIL BLANDFORD SANDERsoN.