6i6 Home Nature-Studv Course. 



month or two old, depending upon the species, its hind legs begin to show ; they 

 first appear as mere buds, but finally push out completely. The feet are long, 

 have five toes, of which the fourth toe is the longest, and are webbed, so they may 

 be used to help in swimming. Impress upon the pupils that wherever there is a web 

 between the toes of animals or birds it means that foot is to be used in the water 

 as a paddle. In about two weeks the arms begin to appear, the left one pushing 

 out through the breathing pore. The "hands" have but four fingers and are not 

 webbed. They are used in the water for balancing, while the hind legs are used for 

 pushing. After both pairs of legs are developed the tail becomes smaller. There is 

 a superstition that tadpoles eat their tails. This is true in a sense, because the 

 material that is in the tail is absorbed into the growing body, but the children 

 should understand that the tadpole does not bite off its own tail. If another tad- 

 pole or some other animal bites off the tail or leg of a tadpole not yet matured 

 the tail or leg will grow again. At first tadpoles' eyes are even with the surface 

 of the head, but as the tail is absorbed and the legs grow the eyes begin to bulge 

 and grow more prominent, and look much more like toad's eyes. As the tadpole 

 developes, its mouth grows larger and wider extending back under the eyes, and 

 its actions are decidedly different than during its earlier life. It now comes often 

 to the surface, and this is because the true air-breathing lungs are being developed, 

 and the little creature is breathing the air of the atmosphere with its new 

 lungs instead of the air in the water by means of the gills which have now 

 disappeared. The most easily detected difference between the toad tadpole and 

 the frog tadpole is that the former are usually black, while the latter may be 

 colored otherwise. During the last week in June or the first of July, the cliildren 

 should be encouraged to visit the pond in which the tadpoles were found, for at 

 this date the tiny toads are likely to emerge and there is nothing so funny as a 

 tiny toad not larger than the end of a lead pencil hopping from the water with as 

 much eagerness and vim as if it were fully grown. 



LESSON LXVI. 

 A TADPOLE AQUARIUM. 



Purpose. — To teach the children how to make the tadpoles comfort- 

 able and so be al)le t > rear them. 



Materials. — A tin or agate pan as large as a milk pan or a deep 

 earthen wash how 1. 

 Tilings to be done. — 



(i). Go to some pond where the tadpoles live. 



(2). Take some of the small stones on the bottom and at the sides of 

 the pond lifting them very gently so as not to disttirb what is growing on 

 their surface. Place these stones on the bottom of the pan. building up 

 one side higher than the other, so that the water will be more shallow on 

 one side than on the other ; a stone or two should project above the water. 



(3). Take some of the mud and leaves from the bottom of the pond, 

 being careful not to disturb them and place upon the stones. 



(4). Take some of the plants found growing under water in the pond 

 and plant them among the stones. 



fs). Carry the ]ian thus prepared l^iack to the schoolhouse and place 

 it where the sun will not shine directly upon it. 



