British reptiles, amphibians, and fresh-water fishes . ILcllble/ Vrocf feet are completely webbed (those of the Common Frog are only partly so), and the male has a conspicuous globular sac on either side of the head. This is the external vocal apparatus with which it croaks. It has a louder and more musical note than that of its cousin. The colour is subject to considerable variation. The upper parts may be bronze-brown, greenish, or olive, with spots or marbhng of black, or dark brown. There are conspicuous light stripes along the back. The under42 COMMON TOAD parts are smooth, whilst the upp
British reptiles, amphibians, and fresh-water fishes . ILcllble/ Vrocf feet are completely webbed (those of the Common Frog are only partly so), and the male has a conspicuous globular sac on either side of the head. This is the external vocal apparatus with which it croaks. It has a louder and more musical note than that of its cousin. The colour is subject to considerable variation. The upper parts may be bronze-brown, greenish, or olive, with spots or marbhng of black, or dark brown. There are conspicuous light stripes along the back. The under42 COMMON TOAD parts are smooth, whilst the upper bear a few excres-cences. The male may also be distinguished by havinga grey pad on the inner side of the first finger. The foodresembles that given for Rana temporia, and it swimslike that despised amphibian with the hind legs only. FAMILY BUFONIDm Common Toad. — Biifo vulgaris (Fig. 21). Belong-ing to a different genus, the Toad is probably more. /ommon Rg2l. despised than the Frog, its more sluggish disposi-tion, warty skin, sticl^y secretion, and general unkemptappearance (at least it is thus regarded), all add to itsunpopularity. It is not such a famihar object as the 43 BRITISH AMPHIBIANS Frog, and is often found in dry situations. It delightsto hide under a rock, stone, or outhouse, and a quarryis a very favourite retreat. It makes its way to its spawn-ing ground later than Rana temporia, and the Cuckoo andNightingale have usually arrived from overseas ereBtifo vulgaris repairs to its favourite breeding eggs, as has already been mentioned in the intro-ductory notes, are laid in strings, not in closely packedmasses as with the Frog, and there is a double row ofthe dark eggs enclosed within the jelly-like metamorphosis resembles that of the Frog, and neednot be repeated. The same remark applies to the , unlike Frogs, do not possess any teeth. Theyhave stumpier and heavier limbs, placed furt
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Keywords: ., book, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, common=commontoad, taxonomy
