e was sure that that
part of the forest was haunted by a spirit, which made the noises. It
was like a huge monkey, covered with long shaggy hair. He committed, he
said, all sorts of mischief. He had a wife and family, whom he taught
to do as much harm as himself; and that, if they caught us, they would
certainly play us some trick. I tried to laugh away his fears, but not
with much success.

At last he gained a little more confidence, and walked on ahead to show
the way. No other sound was heard. He looked back anxiously to see
that I was close to him.

Among the fruits I observed numbers of a curious bean-like description.
Several species had pods fully a yard long hanging to delicate stalks,
and, of course, very slender. Others were four inches wide, and short.
While I was looking down to pick up some of the curious beans I have
mentioned, I saw the big head of a creature projecting from a hole. For
a moment I thought it was a large serpent, but presently out hopped a
huge toad in pursuit of some little animal which had incautiously
ventured near its den. Presently it gave sound to a most extraordinary
loud snoring kind of bellow, when True dashed forward and caught it. I
rescued the creature before his teeth had crushed it. On recovering its
liberty, it croaked away as lustily as before. On measuring it, I found
it fully seven inches long, and as many broad. It had a considerable
enlargement of the bone over the eyes, while the glands behind the head
were of great size. I knew it thus to be the agua toad--_Bufa agua_. I
had no doubt that he and his brothers produced some of the hideous
noises we had heard at night. I have since read that these toads will
kill rats, and that a number of them were carried to Jamaica for the
purpose of keeping down the swarms of rats which devastated the
plantations of that island. I found, indeed, the bones of several
rodent animals near its den. It was somewhat remarkable, but a few
minutes afterwards I saw another toad lying quietly on the ground. I
kept True back, not wishing to let him hurt the creature. I saw some
small animals moving on its back, and stooping down, what was my
surprise to see a number of little toads scrambling out of holes
apparently in its skin. First out came one, and slipping down the fat
sides of the big toad, hopped along on the ground. Another little head
directly afterwards burst its way through the skin, and imitated the
example o