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156 piece as it lies in a dish before me. But pray tell me, is it cruel to kill frogs and toads?" "Ask Mrs. Wilson, my dear; she has more to do with such reptiles than I have," said Mrs. Benson. "Well," replied Mrs. Wilson, "I am very singular in regard to such kind of creatures, and though I by no means like to have them in my house, I do not make an outcry, and condemn every one to a violent death which is accidentally found in my cellars or other places: on the contrary, I generally see them thrown into a ditch at some distance, to take their chance. There are many birds and water-fowl that feed on young frogs and toads, which will in general keep them from multiplying so as to be nuisances to us, and it is time enough for us to take arms against them if there happen to be a very extraordinary increase of them. My good man is as particular in respect to moles: if he finds them in his garden, or any other part of his grounds where they can do mischief, he has them killed, but never suffers them to be molested when they are harmless. Neither does he hunt after snakes, or permit any one belonging to him to do so; for he says that if they are not disturbed they will not come from their haunts to annoy us; and to kill for the sake of killing is cruel."