LESSON XLIX.
THE FRIENDLY TOAD.
1. The toad, which we find in our gardens and yards slowly crawling about, or making short hops, is a cousin of the frog, and is made very much like him.
2. The frog has a smooth skin; but the skin of the toad is thick, and is covered with warts. It has a larger mouth than the frog, and, on the whole, it can not be called handsome.
3. The toad, like the frog, is usually born in the water, and is at first a tadpole. When it loses its gills and tail, it comes out of the water and lives upon the land, until it goes into the water again in the spring to lay its eggs.
4. Sometimes the toad can not reach the water at the proper time, and then the tadpole changes to a perfect toad soon after it is hatched.
5. The toad feeds on insects, and is very useful about the garden, as it picks off the grubs and beetles that destroy the fruit and flowers.