Golden toad led bachelors to attack amplectant pairs and form what has been described as a "writhing masses of toad balls". During the 1977 and 1982 seasons, males outnumbered females by over 8 to 1 at breeding pools. Each toad couple produced 200–400 eggs each week for the six-week mating period, with each egg approximately 3 mm in diameter. The eggs of the golden toad, black and tan spheres, were deposited in small pools often no more than one-inch deep. Tadpoles emerged in a matter of days, but required another four or five weeks for metamorphosis. During this period, they were highly
Toad Hall (The Wind in the Willows) 'Or anywhere else, for that matter'". The hall has a "very old banqueting-hall" and a "large boat-house". Stables stand to the right of the house, as viewed from the river. An ancient passage, unknown to Toad but vouchsafed to Mr Badger by Toad's father, and of critical importance to the novel's denoument, "leads from the river bank ..., right up into the middle of Toad Hall". A number of houses have been cited as the inspiration for Toad Hall. These include: Toad Hall (The Wind in the Willows) Toad Hall is the fictional home of Mr. Toad, a character in