The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1904-06-12
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT ToADs

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Washington Special to New York Even
ing Post
Apparently with no ambition to fg-
ure IN literature as the author OF a
nature book" but simply to set forth
some observations as student for the
benefit of science, A. II. Kirkland OF
Boston sha, nevertheless written one OF
the mos fascinating of little treatises
on the common garden toad 1t APP
pears as u pamphlet bulletin of the De-
partment of Agriculture, under the au-
spices Of thu division of entomology.
The tossi Mr.. kirkland tells us. is
bred very much like the frog-that is.
| from eggs set afioat IN little ponds
The young Matched from these in the
spring are tadpoles, which, as their
legs develop, absorb their tails. and
then quit the water and take up their
| life as land animals. The tiny toads,
being unable to endure the heat of the
sun. hide during the day under leeves.
rubbish, stones and the like. unless q
rain falls; then they swarm forth In
such numbers as to give ignorant OBJ
servers the Impression that there has
been a shower of toads from above.
Their habit of keeping out of the sun
shine has the advantage of saving
multitudes OF them from birds with an
appetite for such food. When they
come out after dark they are pounced
upon. however. by the night birds and
mammals. and are destroyed in great
numbers.
The explanation of a much discuss
ed phenomena is equailed in interest
by the authors investigation of the
stories of toads found alive in rocks.
trees, masonry, etc, where they must
have been immured for Indefinite peri
DDS. One French scientist 1t appears,
deliberately imbedded three toads IN
plaster and laid the receptacles away
for eighteen months, when two OF
them were found to be still living.
Another experiment repeated this test,
but submerged the plaster cases IN
water, with the results that the VIC
tins died Toads carefully buried In
cavities, in sandstone were found dead
in thirteen months, while others sub
jected to the same treatment in lime-
stone survived two years. That the
longevity of the toad As greater than
most persons suppose has been proved
by observations carried on in door
yards in two different towns, where
one toad turned up season after sea-
son in the same place for twelve years.
and another for twenty-three years.
In westport, Mass, one toad is known
to have occupied the same feeding
ground for at least eight consecutive
seasons. ne pia1CS W
which toads resort pretty early In the
fall are under rocks, leaves, boards or
rubbish. where the effect of frost Is
not likely to be severe; although there
is scientific assurance that they may
be frozen without being killed
The toad is a gross feeder. He sal
lies forth usually after shutdown In
search of his prey, which includes
pretty nearly every variety of insect
- YrfF
In twenty-four hours he will consume
insect food of a volume fourfold the
capacity of his stomach--in other
words he can fill up four times. or
angle worms he does not seem very
fond, though his gluttonous habit ex-
tends to them II they are too tempt
ingly abundant. as after the earth has
had a good wetting. Ants appear TO
be his chief delight, with cut-worms
and thousand-leggers next in order
Then come caterpillars and beetles
Grass hoppers and criekets furnish but
small part of his bill of-fare, and
spiders still less He has no use, APP
parently, for dead, prey; but when an
insect or worm comes near him in mo-
tion he makes for 1t eagerly. A cut
worm which has discretion enough,
when in his neighborhood. TO keep
curled up, may easily escape; but as
soon as 1t begins to crawl let 1t be-
ware His method of capturing a bug
is to dart out his tongue, which by the
way, reverses the usual order of ma
ture in icing fastened in front ana
loose behind. 1t is coated with
Elutinous secretion, and when 1t strikes
an object 1T fastens firmly 70 IL ana
conveys it into the toad's mouth. IL
the object, like big worm for in
stance. is too large to go unassisted
into his gullet he uses his forepaws,
like a greedy child, to stuff 1t down.
Most of the viands which the toad
loves are in their living state, pests
of the farm and garden. 1t is hard 10
say Just where to place ants in this
Nearly all students of
nature, as well as persons who nave
nothing but the traditions of their
childhood to guide their judgment,
have acquired a certain affection for
the ant. Its seeming intelligence, It's
artistic or mechanical instinct, It's un-
firing Industry, Its courage, Its care
for its dead and wounded. its nice 40
nestle economy, and its habit OF pro-
viding against the rainy day. an
tend to give 1t sort of human claim
upon us. Still, the fact cannot be iB-
nored that the ant is an active dis
tributor of plant lice, that 1t destroys
lawns. spoils garden walks. infests
dwellings,, and makes itself common
nuisance in the kitchen and pantry
driving the dainty housewife almost to
In the same category
with ants, as to human regard, mlBht
be placed honeybees, which the TOAD
will eat when he gets a good chahce.
One of his tricks is to station hlmseh
at the entrance to a hive and capture |
the belated home corners. AS the TOAD
does not spring into the air for ms
food. however, any apiarist may AVOID |
this danger by raising his hives well |
above the ground.
Reference has been made to the |
loads consumption of food as being
out of proportion to his bulk. But
what he can actually do at sitting |
Is best told by figures derived from ex-
pertinent His official record shows |
one case where he ate 80 rosebugs |
without being satisfied; another where |
he snapped up Sc horsefiies in less than |
ten minutes. In one toad's stomach !
were found n thousand-leggedw worms; |
IN another 65 gypsy moth eaterpillars; |
N another SIS army worms land so on. |
On the basis of his being able to fill |
his stomach four times in twenty-four !
lours, It requires a simple mathemati- |
al calculation to discover how many |
If each variety of winged or crawling |
pest IL single toad might get away with /
n a day IL he kept at IL and the condi- |
ions were favorable; and multiplying |
his product by ninety. as representing |
he days in a summer--fOr Mr.. Toad IS /
10 respector of Sundays or holidays
We can measure his potential capacity |
or good as the gardeners friend. On |
he strength of such a showing, Won
Ter ceases at the thought of Miss Celia.
rhaxter's Importation of small cargo