Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1904-08-18

TIL, AMERICAN TOAD.

William C. Harris in "The Illustrated
Sportilg News"
THE AMERICAN TOAD.
ernest Harold haynes. Newport. y. VI
Walk where you will in the twilight
of these warm summer evenings. ana
tho chances are that you will meet a
toad He may be hopping along the
garden path. with dignified pause after
each hop; he may be skipping ont or
your way. across a dusty country read,
or he may be moving back and tortn in
the bright held Of an electric light.
Watch him for a few minutes. and You
Will begin to take an interest III TINS
lowly, homcly. uch-despscd and often
nluch-abusod little creature for YOU will
find him leading n busy, useful life. To
the average person, he is simply toad.
very loathsome, probably venomous, and
capable Of producing warts on the ha nds
of those who are indclicato enough to
touch his rough and unclean hoGN.
Put give him fair play, judge him on
twcntieth-century evidence. and not only
will these old superstitions be dspelled,
hut you will find your subject harm
less being. scrupulously clean. and. es-
pccialy after lie has shed his Old skin.
wonderfully beautiful Yes. | see that
smile of incredulity. but pick him up
and look at his eyes, and perhaps You
will no longer wonder that il was said
that every toad had a jewel in his head;
you may be willing TO admit that every
toad has two jewels in his head, when
YOU look with appreciation at those
dark. lustrous orhs with their rings OF
powdered gold. And that skin, which once
you feared to touch, you will find
/ on careful examination to be beautifully
marked and tinted. The beauty WAS
! there Al tho time. hut tho evil Of =uper-
stiton had hidden ii from your view
Now st him gently on the ground
and follow him about at reasonable
distance, watch him off and on for the
rest OF the summer, and | think YOU vii
come to the conclusion that YOU have
many n"iRhbors who do less and tall
more about it than your funny old frient
the toad Just make a list Of tn GREAT
ur's he cats during tho year. and 20,
Will find. a Prof. 4. H. Kirkland did
/ that IL includes such things as ants
cutworms. thousand-legGcd worms. ten,
caterpulars. ground beetles. May 'b.otles
wrcworm beetles. wcevils, grasshOppers
crickets spiders. sow bugs. potato
beetles carrion beetles. snails and angie
worms.
When YOU remember that most of those
creatures are injurious to crops, anc
that during a large part Of the yoar
tho toads Hills his stomach about foui
| times day with them, You will admit
That he docs a pretty good seasons worl
for the farmer. And it should be borne
III mind that he works without pay, an,
boards himself.
1t Is IN tho spring and during tn,
breeding season that toads have III,
most To say Tor themselves At Thu
season, hundreds of these little creature
gamer IN quiet ponds, which arc 500,
awakened into life by the lovc-song o
III" males musical, ripping son,
winch William Hamilton Gibson des
cilbcs as the sweetest sound in nature
li"rc the females deposit their eggs yer,
small ana BLACK, and set at short inter
walls in long strings transparent Jelly
thousands Of thos" eggs may be foun
WING upon tho mud at the bottom n
the ponds or twincd about the waite
plants which grow there In about tw
weeks the period of incubation depend
ing somewhat on tho temperature Of tn
water, tho nEES arc hatch.d and IN
polNwogs wrigglc out and begin To fee
on me strings of jelly which lately Ell
compasscd them. They grow ranidl,
ana IN tho cours" of few weeks NOR
the ICES are developed. the tail is r,
s"'n'd ana tn" tiny toads lcayc IN
water 10Y NE on dry l"ud They ar
very s"nSItlv" to the suns rays an
during the day they hid away under "A
sorts of objects which afford them shad,
, untll evening or until shower OF raj
tennis them ONT into tbn ,,,l ,,,,i., =, il
IN some eases after rain ,,,a,. n1,',. a. 49,
in great numbers and tLn co,,r,r,. ,,,,
papcre report that thcv .,,,,, d,,r., ,
tn, shower itself Whilr th,,' -,,',n a.,
are picked M and catou he. ,,,.,',. ~,
of birds. ana even af,or tho,. g.,
grown they are regarded as r,.,,,,,.r n
hv hawks owls snake. ,,,,I v,
skunks ana many Other nnc,,,rr,.., o,.e'
lures. The fact that they us,,.,Iiy ,,,o,,
their DAYS undcr covcr douh,I. ~,
Thorn from MANY rr..,turce ,,.hi, ,
l otherwise urcv unnn mon, ,rhi
. means of defense seems to M, a., ,,,,.i,, "
crotinn of the skim which ie ,..,,,,. ai.,,',
= ful to dnrs and some u,bor ,,,ir,''i.'
; which uuitc fails to discour,ca ,h.' ,ir.
Of nrcv '''o WV
If won have a toad in vorr y,rdo,, go
vll nrohnIIy ind maj he ho -.
lar enot vhicb ia hin, lie hn,,,' 'an
Witch no rnturrs oorh n,orni,n "'it
. Tho d,v l., NAV hc a hoin .P
+ ni,,y.. . hollou. hor.ath q, haara -
+. Stone ar II NAV, hc a hnio in ,hn ar, y"
roads have ben known "a ocrnn,' '' s,',
r. lo,o.. ,,.or,. ..,,,,,,,nr for ''
r ,ra k,,,I 10 NM =, IL. ,a.,nia -