FIELD BOOK OF PONDS AND STREAMS 



Forceps about twelve inches long are almost indispensable 

 for reaching into the water in winter collecting, although 

 many things can be hand picked on the undersides of stones, 

 pulled out of riffles and over-turned upon the bank. Al- 

 though not essential, a sieve- or trash-net (Fig. 28) is some- 

 times useful when muck must be ladled up to the bank or 

 into a boat. Sieve-nets can be purchased from dealers; the 

 small' ones are best, less than a foot square and two or th^'^.e 

 inches deep. 



Fig. 29. — Glass-bottomed bucket pressed down into 

 the riffles to avoid the distortion at the surface and 

 make the bottom visible. 



A wooden bucket with a plate glass bottom (Fig. 29) helps 

 one to see the bottom of shallow rapids. It is simply pressed 

 down into the water so that one can look through it and avoid 

 the distortions made by the uneven surface water. Other 

 useful tools are the cheap wire "lifters" made by soldering 

 a wire to a square of window-screening and used to lift animals 

 from aquaria, hand-bulbs and pipettes or medicine-droppers 

 for picking out frogs' eggs, and a little aquarium net (Fig. 30). 



Where and how to collect. — Near the edge of the pond in. 

 summer, look for flowering plants, bulrushes, reeds, water 

 snakes, bullfrogs and green frogs, tadpoles, water-mites:, 



30 



