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CONSIDER THE LOWLY TOAD Yoniciou* Hunter of Harmful Shigs â€" Also • Sweet, Though Unappreciated Singer. ny Mini M UoinR. Th« toad U aol Impressive, nor b«4ullful. nor strong, nor awlft, uor KnM.-(>fill. Neither Is be niu»l«-al ex Mpt for a little while in the arprlnt; Od« won<l«rii therefore why he Is the kt«ro of HO many w«n<l«?r tales. More untrue atcHies are t^ild and believed about him than about any other crea- ture of the nel(]!<. We hear that whoevor handles him la puaiahed by wartu. that If he be Egg* Hatch Quickly. Soon after tht: wiitir'Scing begins we can Und toad's oggs- black specks, en- clo.-efl In long curly ropes of Jelly, which are tangled anioug the wee<k In sh:ill<)\v water. The Jelly is so clear that we can set, by the help ot a pocket lens, tomelhin of the wcader- ful prooe«3 by which Nature makes the black Aperks Into living creatures. About four dayrt after the eggs are hihl little tadpoles w-^lsgle out of the killed the rows on the farm wher<- he jelly and cling to any hold they can dies give bloody milk, and that hU tind In the water, kreath poisons babies. Scary fairy When toad babies leave the egg •torles, one and all! According to a they have nvJthor mouths nor eyes. plea«anter old belief, a toad in the eel- (jn each little head is a pair of sticky lar brings luck to the house. Shake- humiKs called "suckers," and with •peaiv! says, "th«» toad, ugly and thetie the tiny creatures hang in black venomous, has yet a jlreclous Jewel in hunches to the water weedBv Now the bis head;" but the Jewel la as Imagin- Jelly which has done Us work begins ary bs the venom. ' to melt away. There are some swol- Wlion so much that is false has len gray lumps in itâ€" eggs which tall- been told and believed about the toad ed to hatrfi and are beginning to de- It 1» Ume that we learned sonje truth cay. If the tadpoles are being raised about him. Great Help to Farmera. The value of birdis, as destroyerB of Insect pesls Is now recognized, but the great help which the totfd givas to farmers throughout the growing sea- â- on Is not appreciated, because it is not known. "It Is estimated." says The Techni- cal World, "that an average toad la worth to the farmer five dollars a year Just for the cutworms which It des- troys. Uut this is only one Uem. The amount a toed will eat Is astonishing. A large specimen has been known to devour a hundred rose beetles at a Single meal. One tcmd needed seven- ty-eeven "thousand-legs-" to satisfy his appetite, another flfty-flvo army worms and a third slxty-flve gypsy moth cat- erpillars, sun another toad ate thlrty- flve large celery worms in three hours, while a fifth accepted eighty-six files, led to him in less than ten minutes. Indeed it has been suggested that the farmers of the country should hatch and rear toads to help them in the eumnierlong warfare with greedy in- «ect8. But the ono thing necessary is that they bo protected from their enemlci, and some of their worst enemies arc small boys, who. through mere thoughtle6«nes.H, kill toads when- ever they get the chance. Off the coast of New Hampshire there is a group of nine islands, sur- rounilcd by rock and reef, and culled "Tl;<: Slioal.<4." They are smiten for- ever by the ocean winds, and they are mo reeky that only herbs, grasses and bufi! cs can gel fooUioUl on them. But theip, Celia Thaiter. whose lovely ver.TH are so familiar, undertook to make a garden. Earth was gathered, here a little and there a little, out of pocl.eU) In the rock, and spread deep- ly In a long narrow strip, and hero the gardr-n grew. When I saw It It waa a glory of color, but In Its early days of struggle It was crawled over and de- vourod by stugs, till Its nilHlpe«a was in despair. "Kvery living creature has its enemy." said the friend to whom sihe told lior woes, "and the enemy of the â- lufi Is the toad. You must get toarlH." There wore no toads on The 8h(-a:H, HO Cella Thaxter sent to the mahilanrl for them. Two boy« caught â- ixty and sent them to her In a wood- en box filled with earth and covered with wire netlng. When the box ar- rived there were throe thirsty-looking toads In sight, .sitting on a mound of dry soil. Only three! What a disap- pointment. But pitying their thirst and dryness, Oella Thaiter lihowered them with water, and behold! the dry baked earth hesived tutnultuotuily ; up camo dusgy hoa-lw and bright eyea by the ilOMn. The whole sixty wore freed In the Island garden, and as •Uijinjer went on thoy grew as round as appleii and the mischievous s-Iuge dianppear'id. Slugs aro seldom seen except In dark rainy weather. During sunny hours they sloep, under Iwards ond •tonej. Thoy are busy all night eat- lag loltn<», and other growing plants, but thfl gardener does not m-o th(^m. and s^j does not know wlioro to place th« blame for the mls<,hief done to his Teg« loWes. Hut lo-ads, like bIukh. aro out all night. Thu.s the toad misses the crHfllt he denerves an a mighty burner. Toad'a Tongue a Trap. Till! Inoffue of the l.^ad Is a trap to eatch hlH living, moving food. It is faa<»no<l to the front of his moutli. • Weif your mouth like thin, your tongue uroulil tie r<M>teil Just b<>hlnil your low- er front teeth, with Its tip down your throat. Tlin t<Kid can dart iho wholo length of his tonguo out Into the air, and Its surfare Is sticky. If a Hy oomo^ within say two Inches of his baud, there is no iiinvnment of his body Quick as lightning his tongue •hooli forth and the fly is caught If the toud getH little credit for his banting, h« gets lo«<* for his singing. Tet he ran xlng and sweetly too. He •pend* the winter In aouto snug hole, Cast asleep, and m soon as he wukes ba gees down to the nearest imol and there lifts up his voice In the spring •ong. It la a roft dtxiwsy niuslcjil trill lag and hSA been called the swenteet â- ound In nature In New Rnglnnd thla «ong, sung hy main lnad« only. In heard la April or May. In thn t')hlo valley It may rkie from the potils In March. If winter comes howling bark the music «ti>p6, till sunithiBe and warmth return. It may he heard, day or night, till July. N Indoors, such eggs must be removed, lest they poison the water nursery. Every toad or frog of whatever sort begins llfo under water as a tadpole, and so do the salamanders which have so many popular namesâ€" mud pup pies, newitB, and efts City engineers attending the Canadian Good Roads Convention snapped at St. Andrew'B-by-the-Sea. From left to right, they are: Mr. Brian, J. A. Duchastel, Outremout; P. E. Jarman, Weatmount, and R. H. Parson, Peter- boro. Last of Eminent Victorians Active at Age of 92. In a small house In Che!^:ea'8 art colony lives a venerable woman who. All these varl ' ** * *'*'"^ " ^''^ V^^^- hearkened to ous tadpoles, when newly hatched "** ^^ saluting the coronation of look much alike, but thoy differ great- '^"*®° Victoria. This venerable lady ly In the Ume Uiey take to develop the ' T ?^ memory goes tack to tho very adult form. Toad tadpoles mature ^""iT"!"*^ f !^^ ^'?."'/"'° Tv " '^''!; quickly. Three or four days after they ^ ?• ^ ^^^''^' ^^^ *'""'"''• *"'' ^^^ ^'^^ leave the egg each becomoa provided «""? in Chelsea waa full to over- with two pretty neck friUs These are """'"B Ihe other day wlren notables from all walks of life called to con- tho glllB, which enable tadpoles to breathe under water as do- fish. Baby toads ten days old are lively polywogs, as black as coal, with tails that wriggle constantly and with lit- tle round mouths searching forever for something to eat. These mouths have homy Jaws for biting oft the tips of large plants, or for scraping tiny onrs from their foot-hold. By this time the on her ninety-second gratiilato her birthday. She relates that the present ex-Ger- man Emperor was sent by the Crown Princess ot Germany to visit his royal grandmother in the hope that "he would be put in his proper place." As indeed he was, for Queen Victoria found it necessary to conduct the boy j from the room by force and then to Keeping the Cut Flowers Fresh. It is easy to keep flowers fresh if the right precautions are taken right from the start. In the first place you should cut the bloonui in the morning before the sun has had time to cause them to wilt any. Then thoy should be placed in large vases that give the stems plenty of . room and that are t deep enough so the water can come up almost to the flowers. This Is neces- sary to All the stems perfectly. Keep them in a cool place Uiat is not sub- ject to drafts. After they stay here for a few hours they are ready to use on the table or any place you want them, not in the direct sunlight or strong wind, and w^ill remain fresh ordinarily. They should be treated in this same way If you desire to ship them, and I have sent flowers for a thousand miles and had them come todpoles can seo and their gills are administer a spanking to the future ^''"'"^^ "* good shape. They should covered. When the tadpole begins to be a toad, in latter June or July, the first painters ftign of change Is Uie budding out of young All Highest." ^^ packed in a box Just large enough Mrs. Ward remembers the great I ^^ ''°''* '^*''" without crowding, and of men. mld-V'lctorlan days Macltse, Millals. as thla should be lined with one or more hin^ !«.«. ^ .. , /-.."B .X..U. m«i;i,aB, miuais, Leigh- . «''«'^'« °' °"«'* P^Per (wax paper), and x^t f\T; , f!''^ °' " fortnight ! ton. Alma^Tadema, Poynter. Mulready, i '°«"*« '^'^ ^'^'^ common tissue. The Um« r« J'^f^""'^/""'^''^"^'"' M^'an- rrod Walker FVIth and many more. '- ' anTth^n ,?H TV^^ '"'«"' Not only in her own field- that of we h^v« »T "'?''!?'' "''"'^^'""iP»">"'«~ -I'd *"•«• Word know Uie we have a strange-looking creature- a little toad with a long tall. By this time he prefers land to water. He has been changed within as well as with- out, and Is now breathing by lungs. Soon his tall shortens, and vanishes! and behold! a perfect toadâ€" but with a satin-Bmooth skin. Ho sheds his coat every few weeks and each new suit is great personalities of the Victorian era, but she was on terms of intimacy with' those who ennobled literature. She has much to tell concerning Dick- ens, whom she knew well. She "was one of a supper party at Dickens' house when Crulkshank, wlio "had at that Ume developed a mania for total abstinence, and a seeing me about to water on the stems when removed tVQiw the vase is sufllclent, but be care- ful to keep It off the blooms. Wrap the box well and it will go reasonable distances all right. â€" A. H. rougher and more warty than the last, sip a glass' ot wine snatched the^lass .nn '^ ^'â- ^^"' ""'^ ^^^'^ "° °^'^''' His skin has the wonderful ,u,w«r f.L! 1„ .„ ..T'^'..^"". ..^ ?_^*^'"^' I ^OO ''°°«"» students who pass on for Training Women Doctors. The Jubilee of the London (Royal Free Hospital) School of Medicine tor Women, part of the University of Lon- don, will be celebrated in October. • At the preksent time there aro nearly His skin has the wonderful power of changing color, so that he matches his surroundings, and thus is conceal- ed from hungry enemies. And he ue6<ls this protection, sorely. The ranlts ot tho little toads are ' their hospital training to the Royal you touch Mrs. Ward's gl.-ss? It is an unpardonable liberty. What do you mean? Because some ono you know nithlcssly thinned. Thoy have many was a drunkard for forty years It Is enemies. Crows and hawks love to | not tor you to object to ahy innocent glass of sherry." Thackeray was another friend. Mrs. Ward having offended her relatives by reason ot her marriage, Thackeray ad- vised her "to have nothing to do with relatives, to keep them well at a dis- froni me to dash It on the floor. had never seen Dicken.s so angry. i p^ee Hospital, the governors of which To Crulkshank he said: "How dare j |„gtitutlofr eat them, so do ducks, and hens; but the most ruthless of all their foes are snakes. Wo should wish prosperity and long life to the young toad hiding in the moist grass, for he Is one ot our great- est blessings. He helps to keep the tanco, as they were no good house free from mosquitoes, flies and ' one.' vermin, and the garden safe from a host of groody enemies. And so there Is some truth In the old saying, "a toad In the cellar brings luck to the house." to any The Apple Includes the Core. "Ills love for her Is the core of the situation." "Ought to ho -she's tho apple of his eye." *- Quite Right. The lecturer was warming to his Bubjeot, and presently come yvlth an eloquent burst to tho statement: "Man, as we have seen. Is a pro- gressive being, "but many other crea- tures are stationary. Take the ass, for example: always and everywhere tho ass 1^ the same creature. You nev«r have seen, and never will see. a more perfect ass than you see at tho present moment." made possible from the first the training neceieary tor fully- qualified women doctors. This Is the only centre of medical training exclusively for women in the British Empire, and to-day its medical students include women from eighteen countries. A thousand graduates of the Lon- don School of Medicine for Women are now practising In various' parts of the world. A deserved kick helps us more than an undeserved pat '^ Her Complaint. Margaret was housemaid In the Blank family, the members of which are given to (Juarreliing. One morn- ing Margaret sought her mistress and gave notice. Mrs, Blank waa distress- ed and unwilling to part with ao ex- cellent a servant. "And are you really going to leave us. Maragaret?" she asked, sadly. "What is the matter? Haven't we al- ways treated you as one of the family?** "Yls, mum," replied the girl, "an* Oi've shtood it as long as Oi'm goln' to, mum." FLYING OPER ATIONS P URPiG 1924 Growth of Woik Assigned to Royel Canadian Air Force â€" ^ Increase in Paired and Surveys. A programme of flying operations to be undertaken thla season by the Royal Canadian Air t'orce for other Federal Government departmenU has now been drawn up. The steady growth of this work is the best proof of its usefulness and each year brings en increase in the number, variety, and extent of the operations called for from the Air Force by other branches of the government service. As In U»e past, the work of the For- estry and Survey Branches of the De- partment of the Interior is tho largest Item on the programme. The plan.s for 1924, however, show an Important addition which opens up a new phase of activity In aviation. This Is a re- quest from th-e Fisheries Branch of the Department of Marine and Fisher- ies for a continuance, and a large ex- tension, of the experimental patrols carried out last year on the Pacific coast for the prevention of illegal fish- ing and other allied work in connec- tion with fisheries protecUon. The base chosen is at Prtnce Rupert and extensive patrols will be carried out from there covering the entire coast ot northern British Columbia and the islands adjacent to it The Euccesa of the photographic operations undertaken for the Topo- graphical Survey Bnmch of the De- partment of the Interior is best shown in the large increase in the area to he covered by aerial surveys this year. The actual mapping work is under the Topographical Survey and as will be E'cen from the large amount of work proposed, progress is being made in the development of methods of utiliz- ing the information shown on aerial photographs for pracUcal mapping purposes. The fact that aircraft can be used successftilly in forest protecUon la now fully established. The only re- maining step is to perfect organiza- tion and develop equipment at costs within the ecconomic means of forest authorities. The R.CA..F. and th« Do- minion Forest Service are bending all their energies to this end. The neces- sary pracUcal experience and working knowledge of essenUal factors in- volved in reducing costs are being ob- tained through large scale air opera- tions in Manitoba and Alberta. These operations to-day serve a double pur- pose. They provide patrols for areas otherwise impossible of protecUon, and at the same Ume serve as proving grounds in which organization and material can be developed suited to the needs ot all forest protecUve agen- cies. Details of the programme are given below with an estimate of the flying time required to carry out each opera- tion:â€" Department of National Defence. Air Service. â€" Air Force pracUce, machine teats, etc., 300 hours; flying training for R.C.A.F. service pilots and cadets, 1,000 hours; total, 1,300 hours. Militia Service. â€" Flying as neces- sary in connecUon with Militia Courses of Instruction at Esqulmalt, Sarcee, Sherbrooke, Petawawa, and Halifax, 82 hours. Department of the Interior. Forestry Branch.â€" Patrol of the for- est areas In the Railway Belt of Bri- tish Columbia in periods of unusual lire hazard, 40 hours; routine patrols of the forest reserves on the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains from the Clearwater river to the Interna- tional Boundary, 700 hours; patrols of the foretsts in Manitoba, east, north, and north-west of Lake Winnipeg and experimental patrols over northeast- ern Saskatchewan, 800 hours; sketch mapping of yoang timber growth areas in the French river section, Ontario, 20 hours; experimental work In for- est surveying by aerial photography, 30 hours; total, 1,690 hours. Topographical Survey Branch â€" Ver- Ucal photography in the Edmonton dis- trict of an area ot 520 square miles, in the vicinity of Vermilion, of an area of 2,592 square miles, and In the Walnwright district. Alberta, all for map revision purposes, 69 hours; oblique photography of an area o( 3,224 square miles in the vicinity ot Edmonton, Alta., for map revision, 24 hours; oblique photography over water courses in northern Saskatche- wan, hicluding the Churchill and Rein- deer rivers. Reindeer, Churchill, and He a la Crosse lakes, for mapping pur- poses, 35 hours; oblique photography over water courses In the Kisslsslng Lake district, and of Crosae Lake and Oiseau districts, Manitoba, for map- ping purposes, 49 hours; oblique photography In connecUon with map revision In the counties of Dlgby, Yar- mouth, and Shelbume, Nova Scotia, 23 hours; vertical photography In the districts of Windsor and New Glas- gow, N.S., 10 hours; total, 200 hours. National Parks. â€" Routine fire jMitrola in the Waterton liakes NaUonal Park, included under patrols of forest re- serves on eastern sJope of Rockies for Forestry Branch; photographs of Is- lands in Georgian Bay for survey pur- poses. 15 hours. Water Power Branch. â€" Photographs of water-power developments and sites for future development, 10 hours. Department of Indian Affairs. â€" Transportation of Indian agents tc I>oints in the Norway House agency and Group 3, Clandeboye agency, If hours. Department ot Marine and Fisher ies. â€" Fishery patrols to prevent H, legal fishing In BriUsh Columbia coast al waters, SOOlfours. Grand total for all Federal Depart ments, 3.515 hours. ^AND THE WORST IS YET TO COME A Successful Truant. Recently closed for repairs, Water- loo Uridge, doscrlbeil lu* tho noblest bridge In Europe, owes Its existence to a fanner's son, who later In life de- veloped a geniiiH for nnRlnnprlng. Th«< hoy was John Kcnnle, nnd so keen was his Interrsl In machinery | that he frequently »h.-^nled hlniHolf rriini scho<d, Hpcnding hb. time nt a millwright's when he pliould have boen at bin lessons". I (hit of tills, pas^li.n f(ir niechunlr.s grew Hoino <if the I'.iost ndtuble en-. Klnecrlng feats of the im.st century, amf>ng them the building of South-! wark Hridge, l,ondon llrldge, many; bridges in ScotlnncI, nnd harbors nnd ' docks nil over the kingdom, Including those al GrlniMhy. Holyhead, Hull, nnd ' the East India l)o<<k, London. In nd- dillon he rt*<'lalni»Hl large areas of land threatened by tho gen j So groat wa» the tyilnem ulih which the nation regarded him that when he died nt the agn <>t sixty, the ersiwhlln fanner's son received tho honor ot in- terment In Ht. I'aul's C^thoflral. t A Good Job for a Lazy Man. A wealthy man insisted that his head gardener should take as an ap- prentice a boy In whom he was in- terested'. The boy was lazy, and the gardener was not at all pleased at having such a youth thrust on him. Some time afterward his employer while walking in the garden came up- on his gardener and said: "Well, John, how is my young friend getUng on?" "Oh, he's doin' fine," replied the gar- dener, smiling; "he's working away there at the very job that suits him." "I'm glad to hear that. What may it be?" "Chasing snails off the walks,' w-as the cutting reply. So Could Mother. It was In the drawing claas at the school. "Sargent was a great artist," said the teacher. "With one stroke he could change a smiling face to a sor- rowful one." "That ain't nothin'," piped up John- ny. "Me mother does that to me lots of Umes." I $50,000 Table Prop. An old art dealer of Antwerp, on his ; way up all flights of stairs to examine some pictures, was offered a chair h? a woman on the fourth floor, who no- , tlced that he was out of breath. 1 While he rested en the chair he hap- pened to glance into a room of the , woman's hou8«. and he saw a couple I of chairs and a rickety table, under j one leg of which was a book. I His pracUsed eye noticed immediate ; ly that the book was bound In parch- ment made from human skin. The dealer obtained permission to examine it closely, and found that 11 was one of the three extant copies of an old Latin work for which he knew he could get a high price. The woman told him that she could neither read nor write, and that she had picked th« book up because it was of "Just th« right thickness to keep her tabh steady." The dealer took the book, sold It to a collector, and rewarded the woman with 125,000â€" half the proceeds of tht sale. -♦ Vocational Training. "Did that agricultural counse your boy took In college help him any in his work?" "Yes, Indeed. He's In the city now. writing 'Back to the Farm* pieces for the magazines." My, My, What a Memory] Marian, who Is seven years old, had gone to the hospital for a slight opera- tion. She Icoked round and seemed puzzled. Finally she said to the nurse. "My, but things do look changed here!" "Have you been here before?" asked the nurf«, much astonished. ' "Why, yes; I was horn here," was the startling answer. The Game They Play. "Great game, these women play pre- tending to want to pay each other's carfare." "A grpat game, you say?" "Yes; the one who c^n taUo the longest to get her nickels out wins." Masts ISO Feet High. The highest masts ot sailing vessel* are from ItO to ISO feet He Wanted to Meet the Mouse. We have never liked the idea of frightening children into quiet and Bubmisslon. "Hie immature nervous organization of the child often suffers severely from such treatment Bui there are some strong soub among the youngsters about whom we need not worry; they are not easily scanid. One of them, as we read in the Ar- gonaut is three years old. One even- ing after he had been put to bed he began to wail, and Mary, the maid, was reqitesled to soothe him. After a •short lull the crying broke out ngali with renewed vigor, and papa was in â- stmcted to Investigate the trouble. "What's all this noise about, vou young rasc-jl?" he demanded. "Well, Mary said If I kept on erring a great big mouse with big green eyes would come and sit on the end of my bed. and I've kept on. but It hasn't come yet!" <» Too Many Letters. "Oreal Scott; What on earth has that foc< of a Jeweller been plaving at with this ring?" exclaimed a young man. gazing at the engagement ring in his hand. "What's the trouble?" as*ed hit friend. "Why, 1 told him to engrave 'From A to Z'- from .\rthur to Zona ^on thr Inside of it; and the idiot has put ii the whole blooming alphabet' ' Lace Worth More Than Gold. The highest price eve* paid for laco was ten times Its weight In goU.