Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-06
THE AMERICAN TOAD
Subjects to Study Are Easy
to Find.
HIS HOME AND HABITS
FEW WORK HARDER AND MAKE
LESS NOISE.
Can Be Trained to Feed From Your
Misunderstanding Old
Skin.
Written for The Evening Star.

Written for The Evening Star.
Walk where you will in the twilight of
these warm summer evenings, and the
chances are that you will meet a toad. He
may be hopping along the garden path
with a dgnitied pause after each hop; he
may be skipping out of your way, across
dusty country road, or he may be moving
back and forth in the bright field of an
electric light. Watch him for a few min
| utes, and you will begin to take an inter-
est in this lowly, homely. much-despised
and often much-abused little creature, for
you will find him leading busy, useful
life: To the average person, he is simply
toad, very loathsome. probably venomous
and capable of producing warts on the
hands of those who are indicate enough
to touch his rough and unclean body. But
give him fair play; judge him on twentieth
century evidence, and not only Will these
old superstitons be dispelled, but you will
find your subject a harmless being, scrupu-
lousy clean, and, especially after he has
shed his old skin, wonderfully beautiful
Yes L that smile of iDcreduiity, but
pick him up and look at his eyes, and
perhaps you will no longer wonder that 1t
was said that every toad had a Jewel IN MS
head; you may be willing to admit that
every toad has two jewels In his head when
you look with appreciation at those dark,
gold And that skin. which once you fear
ed to touch, you will find on careful exam
nation to be beautifully marked and TINT
ed. The beauty was there all the time, out
the evil of superstition had hidden 1t from
your view.
Now set him gently on the ground, and
follow him about at a reasonable distance;
watch him off and on for the rest of the
summer and l think you will come to the
conclusion that you have many ne1ghbors
who do less and talk more about 1t than
your funny old friend the toad. Just make
a list Of the creatures he eats during the
year. and you will find. as Prof. A. H.
Kirkland did, that it includes such things
as ants. cutworms, thousand-legged worms
tent caterpillars, ground beetles, May
beetles, wireworm beetles weevils grass
hoppers crickets, spiders, sow-bugs, pota-
to beetles, carrion beetles. snails and angle
worms.
Works Without Pay.
When you remember that most of these
creatures are injurious to crops, and that
during large part of the year the toad
fills his stomach about four times a day
with them. you will admit that he does a
pretty good seasons work for the farmer.
And it should be borne in mind that he
works without pay and boards himself.
1t Is in the spring and during the breed
ing season that toads have the most to say
for themselves. At this season hundreds Of
these little creatures gather in quiet ponds
which are soon awakened into life by the
love song of the males; musical, ripping
song which William Hamilton Gibson de-
scribes as the sweetest sound in nature"
Here the females deposit their eggs very
small and black, and set at short inter-
walls in long strings transparent jelly.
Thousands of these eggs may be found w.
ing upon the mud at the bottom of the
ponds or twined about the water plants
which grow there. In about two weeks
the period Of incubation depending some
what on the temperature OF the water the
eggs are Matched, and the polywogs wriggle
out and begin to feed on the strings Of
jelly which lately encompassed them.
Rapid Growers.
They grow rapidly, and in the course of
few weeks more the legs are developed,
the tail is resorbed, and the tiny toads
leave the water for life on dry land
They are very sensitive to the suns rays.
and during the day they hide away under
all sorts OF objects which afford them
shade. until evening or until shower of
rain tempts them out into the COOL moist
air. In some cases, after rain, they come
out in great numbers. and the country
newspapers report that they came down
in the shower itself. While thus small thew
are picked up and eaten by many species of
BIRDS and even after they are full grown
they are regarded regular prey by
hawks. owls. snakes and probably skunks
and many other nocturnal creatures. The
fact that they usually spend their DAYS
under cover. doubtless saves them from
many creatures which would otherwise prey
upon them. Their only means of defense
seems to be an acrid secretion of the skin
which Is very distasteful to dogs and some
other animals, but which quite fails to
discourage the birds Of prey.
Likes His Home.
If you have a toad in your garden, you
will probably find that he has a particu-
lar spot which to him is home, and to
which he returns each morning to spend
the day. 1t may be hole under the
piazza; hollow beneath a board or a
stone, or 1t may be hole in the ground.
Toads have been known to occupy such
places every summer for years. II YOU
are kind to him. 1t is possible to make
and take insects from your hands The
more toads you have in the garden, the
fewer insects there will be to injure your
flowers and vegetables, and as 1t costs
nothing to keep these living insect traps. it
may be well to offer them some inducement
to live on your premises. Dig shallow holes
and partly cover them with boards or fat
stones. and then, If you introduce a few
toads, they are likely to make these places
their headquarters. from which they will
sally forth every evening to fight your In
sect enemies. And 1t is interesting to watch
them at work. hunting for their prey among
the flower beds and along the garden paths.
toad's togue like frogs Is attached in
front and free behind, and is covered with
sticky secretion. AS long as an insect Is
still, 1t Is safe. but the moment 1t moves.
the toad's loose tongue flies forward and lie
instantly withdrawn with the insect glued
to it.
Some time ago saw a toad shed his old
skin. First the skin split In q straight line
down the middle Of the back, and the toad
with his hind legs pulled 1t down and OF
as one might pull of a coat. Then, rolling
up the skin into a sort of ball, he promptly
swallowed It, showing his Discrimination to
waste anything-even his CASTOR clothes
ERNEST HAROLD BAYNEG.
Worse Yet.