110 Marvels of Pond- Life. 



out the details of their structure,, to see the nucleus 

 and other organs, the flattening in the live-box is 

 useful, and it enables much higher powers to be em- 

 ployed. 



After leaving the Anacharis in a glass jar for a few 

 days, the Stentors multiplied exceedingly ; some clung 

 to the sides of the vessel in sociable communities, 

 others hung from the surface of the water, and crowds 

 settled upon the stems, visibly changing their tint, as 

 the Stentor green was much bluer than that of the 

 plant. Scores swam about in all sorts of forms. Now 

 they looked like cylindrical vessels with expanding 

 brims, now globular, now oddly distorted, until all 

 semblance of the original shape was lost. Many were 

 found in shiny tubes, but these were never so lively or 

 green as the free swimmers, but mostly of a dingy 

 dirty hue. 



These housekeepers were more timid and cautious 

 than the roving tribe. They came slowly out of their 

 dens, drew back at the slightest alarm, never took their 

 tails from home, and only extended their full length 

 w r hen certain not to be disturbed. Some authors have 

 thought they only take to private lodgings when they 

 feel a little bit poorly, but others dispute this opinion, 

 and I do not think it is correct. 1 have found these 

 Stentors at all seasons, from January to the autumn, 

 but they are never so numerous, nor aggregated in 

 numbers like the roving sort. Whether they are old 

 folks, who are tired of the world and its gaieties, and 

 devote the remainder of their lives to contemplation, or 

 whether they are bachelors disappointed in love, I am 



