44 



Marvels of Pond-Life. 



if we imitate it by a bright lamp, we sball attract 

 crowds of live dancing specks to the illuminated side of 

 a bottle, and may thus easily effect ^their capture by 

 the dipping-tube. 



This year the March sunshine was not lost, for on 

 the third of that month I obtained a bottleful of 

 conferva from a pond about a mile from my house, and 

 lying at the foot of the Highgate hills. Water-fleas 

 were immediately discovered in abundance, together 

 with some minute worms^ and a ferocious-looking larva 



Pterodina patina. 



covered with scales ; but what attracted most attention 

 was a Rotifer, like a transparent animated soup-plate, 

 from near the middle of which depended a tail, which 

 swayed from side to side, as the creature swam along:. 

 The head exhibited two little red eves: two tufts of 

 cilia rowed the living disk through the water, and the 

 gizzard worked with a rapid snapping motion, that left 

 no doubt the ciliary whirlpools had brought home no 

 slender stores of invisible food. Sometimes the end of 

 the tail acted as a sucker, and fixed the animal tightly 



