Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-05-21

frog. The toad is a mysterious ami
NAL. He is reputed to be possessed Of
such peculiar properties that he Is
both a fascination and terror to the
little children. Nobody knows where
he came from or where he is going, or
how long he has lived here. And his
home while in this world Is enshroud-
ed like many Of his personal attributes,
in mystery. 1t has been said that
toads have been found in the midst OF
solid rocks alive, ready to hop out full
grown, armed and equipped, even as
Minerva sprang from the head OF Jove,
having been there perhaps thousands
of years, or having had no birth or
beginning at all, just came down all
through the centuries, ugly and ven-
omous, wears yet precious 1ewel
in his head" Now Mr.. Kirkland
points out that 1t is no such thing
There Is no such jewel in the toad's
head in the first place, and no toad
within the range Of his experience and
investigations has ever been found
shut up in a rock for a thousand years
On the contrary he points out that
once a French entomologist imbedded
three toads in plaster and placed them
in the archives Of the French Academy
of Science. He also tells OF other
toads shut up in sandstone and lime
stone. The, toads died In a short time,
though they lived perhaps longer than
any other animal known would have
lived under similar circumstances.
Mr.. kirkland evidently poked sticks
at the tails of toads when he was a
little boy, and he tells us with some
evidently memory Of his early happy
days of how "in southern latitudes
March finds them wakened from their
winter sleep and beginning their an
nual migration toward the breeding
points, where a little later Is heard the
soft drowsy musical trilling of the
males so we'll described by Gibson as
the sweetest song in nature
Another thing Mr.. Kirkland wants
understood, and that Is that the toad
is not venomous. At least, 1t Is not
venomous to the human skin and the
exudations from its skin Of a certain
milky acrid fluid, does not harm the
human hands, though 1t does very
much discomfort a dog who tries to
bite the toad. Therefore, dog does
not bother a toad.
Now, there are all sorts Of other
things told us about toads by Mr.
Kirkland-all sorts Of interesting
things. But where he comes to me
defense Of the tcad-where he comes
to the defense of himself for spending
so ,much time on this toad business
and putting the government to the eX-
pense of printing and circulating a bull
letin on the subjects when he tells
what the toad eats. The toad frog Is
quite much of an eater. He eats bugs
and beetles, worms, ants, caterpillars,
grasshoppers, spiders and a good
many other things, especially destruct-
i've things. In other words, the toad
earns his right to live in this world,
and to hop and to exude this mysseri-
GUS acrid fluid from his skin, by eat
-frrgTup other animals which are-dan-
gerous to human life and health or
destructive to property. The TOAD
frog particularly likes thousand-legged
worms Mr.. kirkland says that one
toad frog has been known to eat sew
enty-seven thousand-legged worms at
one meal, thirty-seven caterpillars at
another meal, sixty-seven gypsy moths
at another, and fifty-five army worms
at another. The toad frog has a good
appetite. But Of all the things he eats
he is particularly fond of these dan
gerous and destructive worms, bugs,
etc. Mr.. Kirkland has figured out
that of the food the toad eats, sixty
two per cent consists of these injuri-
Gus insects.
Toads should not be killed by man
or little boys or girls. Everybody
knows that knew it before Mr.. Kirk
land said so. In fact, 1t is dangerous
to kill toad frogs. There is no telling
what might happen to little boy or
girl who kills a toad frog. Hawks,
owls. crows, snakes and 'skunks Kill
toad frogs. Little boys and little girls
ought not to want to be classed with
hawks, owls, crows, snakes and
skunks.
The toad frog, all in all, Is a very
desirable citizen.-Zach MCGEE In CO.
lumbia State.