Toads and Their Kin
One is really surprised at the long list of wild animals that have been successfully tamed. That is, they are sufficiently tame to come to the tamer, eat from his hand, nestle in his pocket, follow him about—in short, to show perfect confidence and little or no fear.
The toad for example, “ugly and venomous,” (we have Shakespeare’s word for that, but he was mistaken)—, a very useful animal and absolutely without disagreeable traits. It has been carefully estimated that every toad is worth twenty dollars to the garden he lives in. Yet how seldom one hears of a tame toad. At best they are tolerated, but not often encouraged by protection or by a little attention. To tame a toad, one only needs to feed him. Frogs, salamanders, newts, snakes, turtles, and fish have all been tamed in the same fashion. As nearly all are insect eaters, we are benefiting mankind when we encourage them.