^^y•^ Searle, The Pond and its Inhabitants. 7 



1917 J / 



or small vial fastened at the apex of the net completes it. In 

 use the net is moved backwards and forwards through the water 

 a few times, then raised up out of the water ; the water will 

 escape through the meshes of the muslin, and anything 

 captured by the net will remain in the tube at the bottom, and 

 can be transferred to a bottle for future examination. 



Often it is desired to examine weeds growing at the bottom 

 of a pond or beyond our reach from the bank ; these can readily 

 be secured by the aid of a pond hook, easily made as follows : — 

 Take two pieces of wire, about 14 gauge, one nine inches in 

 length, the other four inches. Double the longer piece in half, 

 like a hairpin, making a loop in the middle about J-inch in 

 diameter, place the short length against the doubled wire, see 

 that the ends are even, and twist the three together just below 

 the loop. Around the twisted part cast a lump of lead, just as 

 you would in making a sinker for an eel line. When cold trim 

 the lead to an oval shape and then band each of the projecting 

 wires into a hook. A strong line attached to the loop completes 

 this handy addition to our outfit. Glass bottles with screw 

 metal tops, such as vaseline and boot creams are sold in, are 

 generally to be found in most households ; ' these, when 

 thoroughly cleaned, are very useful for bringing our captures 

 home in, while one or two small preserving jars with similar 

 tops serve well for larger specimens. A box or bag to hold 

 these various items completes our outfit (a waterproof camera 

 bag is very useful for the purpose). Thus equipped, and with 

 our lens in our pocket, we are ready to investigate any pool 

 in our vicinity with the certainty of securing in half an hour 

 ewoug'h specimens to provide material for many an evening's 

 study. 



Melbourne is particularly favoured with respect to ponds 

 of easy access for an afternoon excursion. On either side of 

 the River Yarra, from Richmond to Heidelberg, there are 

 numerous pools that delight the heart of the pond-hunter. 

 Some of these, particularly those at Heidelberg, near the bridge 

 over the river, have been visited by naturalists for many years, 

 and are still yielding new specimens in response to our closer 

 investigations and thirst for knowledge. The ponds at Wills- 

 mere are also famous, but I am afraid they are doomed for 

 destruction to make way for a Chinese vegetable garden. 

 Nearer town the Albert Park Lake is well worth a visit, while 

 the numerous pools on the heath grounds of Cheltenham and 

 Sandringham afford rare material when at their best. 



I will now endeavour to describe some of the inhabitants 

 of these ponds, together with their habits and life-histories 

 and such other information as may be of interest to the 

 student who takes up this subject, and enable him to identify 



