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In my view, the Christian religion is the most important and one of the first things in which all children, under a free government ought to be instructed... No truth is more evident to my mind than that the Christian religion must be the basis of any government intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people. Preface to 1828 Dictionary
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TOAD, n. A paddoc, an animal of the genus Rana, the Rana Bufo of Linne; a small clumsy animal, the body warty, thick and disgusting to the sight, but perfectly harmless, and indeed it is said to be useful in gardens by feeding on noxious worms.
Any one of numerous species of
batrachians belonging to the genus Bufo and allied genera,
especially those of the family Bufonidæ. Toads are generally
terrestrial in their habits except during the breeding season, when they
seek the water. Most of the species burrow beneath the earth in the daytime
and come forth to feed on insects at night. Most toads have a rough, warty
skin in which are glands that secrete an acrid fluid.
* The common toad (Bufo vulgaris) and the natterjack are familiar European species. The common American toad (B. lentiginosus) is similar to the European toad, but is less warty and is more active, moving chiefly by leaping. Obstetrical toad. (Zoöl.) See under Obstetrical. -- Surinam toad. (Zoöl.) See Pita. -- Toad lizard (Zoöl.), a horned toad. -- Toad pipe (Bot.), a hollow-stemmed plant (Equisetum limosum) growing in muddy places. Dr. Prior. -- Toad rush (Bot.), a low-growing kind of rush (Juncus bufonius). -- Toad snatcher (Zoöl.), the reed bunting. [Prov. Eng.] -- Toad spittle. (Zoöl.) See Cuckoo spit, under Cuckoo. -- Tree toad. (Zoöl.) See under Tree. | ||||||||