. The world of animal life. Zoology. 3o6 THE WORLD OF ANIMAL LIFE. Toad catching its Prey animal immediately, and begin to foam at the mouth. And in such a case he can very seldom be induced to take up a toad again. Perhaps it was the possession of this liquid that gave rise to the old idea that toads are poisonous. In some parts of the country, even now, these animals are dreaded far more than adders, while they are even said to spit fire into the wounds which they in- flict! That many of these animals do secrete a virulent substance in certain cells in their skins is well exemplified in the
. The world of animal life. Zoology. 3o6 THE WORLD OF ANIMAL LIFE. Toad catching its Prey animal immediately, and begin to foam at the mouth. And in such a case he can very seldom be induced to take up a toad again. Perhaps it was the possession of this liquid that gave rise to the old idea that toads are poisonous. In some parts of the country, even now, these animals are dreaded far more than adders, while they are even said to spit fire into the wounds which they in- flict! That many of these animals do secrete a virulent substance in certain cells in their skins is well exemplified in the fact, that in some parts of the world matter obtained from their skins is used by the natives for poisoning their arrows. Another curious legend con- cerning the toad is, that it carries a very valuable jewel in its head, which disappears as soon as it dies. And it was said that the only way to obtain this gem was to place the animal on a piece of scarlet cloth. The toad, in its delight at the brilliant colour, would then drop its precious treasure for a moment, so that a quick hand might gain possession of it! Toads, like frogs, live chiefly on insects, and have tongues formed in the same curious way. Sometimes, too, a toad will eat a worm. It is very amusing to watch him doing this, for the worm, which he always seizes by the middle, twists and wriggles about, and for some little time prevents him from swallowing it. But at last he seizes it with his fore paws and crams it into his mouth; and then, with a sudden gulp, it is gone. At times, too, the toad swallows a still more singular article of diet. This is his own skin! Every few months he casts his skin, like a snake; and as soon as he has thrown it off", he seizes it with his paws, rolls it up into a ball, and swallows it!. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly rese
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectzoology, bookyear1910
