130 THREE KINGDOMS. 



LlNGULjE. 



Chinese boys go on mud sleds, and dig, at low tide, from the 

 sandy shores of the Swatow Bay, great basketfuls of lingula, tiny 

 mollusks with thin, green, horny, oblong shells. The lingula is 

 found in beds, and is often buried in the muddy sand to a depth 

 of ten inches. It is usually attached to a little stone by a muscu- 

 lar pedicel, and by the extension and contraction of its pedicel it 

 enjoys feeding in clear water at high tide, and napping in sandy 

 depths at low tide. Unlike the clam, which has its two shell- 

 valves on its two sides, like a garment that opens before and 

 behind, this little shell-fish has its two shell-valves on its back and 

 front, like a garment that opens at the sides. Moreover, it is one 

 of the very few kinds of living creatures that have existed un- 

 changed from the earliest 'geological times. Before there were 

 men, or sheep, or frogs, ^or trout, there were lingulce ; and this 

 brave little tribe has held its place and perpetuated itself in the 

 world, through many changes of climate and circumstance. But, 

 although it is of so ancient race, it is not intellectually superior to 

 other shell-fish, and should serve as a warning to us against pride 

 of pedigree. The Chinese, who are mere upstarts in comparison 

 with it, sell it in the market at three cents a pound, fry it in lard, 

 and eat it as a relish with their rice. 



ADELE M. FIELDE, Swatow, China. 



A WOODPECKER'S SUGAR-BUSH. 



I have detected one of our yellow-bellied woodpeckers, Picus 

 varitis, tapping a maple-tree for the sake of the sap. Attracted 

 to my window by a vigorous hammering, I saw a beautiful male 

 bird sinking a shaft near the base of a large maple. It struck me 

 as being a discouraging place to bore for grubs, as the tree was 

 healthy and the sounds from the tapping gave no evidence of 

 hollowness ; so I thought at first it might be a case of misguided 

 instinct, or perhaps merely an experimental bore. As soon as one 

 hole was completed another was begun, and by the time that was 

 done the sap had commenced to flow freely from the first. It was 

 then I noticed that it was the sweet sap the fellow was after, and 

 not with the hope of any other reward that the bore was made, 

 for, as the sap flowed, it was sipped up, first from the first hole 

 and then from the second, and meanwhile, between drinks, the 

 little fellow was vigorously at work upon a third excavation. 

 When this was done, and all three taps flowing profusely, his 

 sweet tongue was not yet sated, but his scarlet head was kept 



