The toads, I suppose, knew when it was Sunday--their feeding day; at all events they would crawl out of their holes in the floor under the pews to receive their rations--and caresses.

The toads got on my nerves with rather unpleasant consequences.

I preached in a way which my listeners did not appreciate or properly understand, particularly when I took for my subject our duty towards the lower animals, including reptiles." "Batrachians," I interposed, echoing as well as I could the tone in which he had rebuked me before.
"Very well, batrachians--I am not a naturalist.

But the impression created on their minds appeared to be that I was rather an odd person in the pulpit.

When the time came to pull the old church down the toad-keepers were bidden to remove their pets, which they did with considerable reluctance.