WILD CREATURES OF GARDEN AND HEDGEROW 



again. In the meantime those who have 

 survived the troubles and dangers of the great 

 adventure are journeying home, but more 

 accidents happen before they get safe to their 

 old quarters, such as tumbles into deep ruts, 

 whence escape is impossible, and a blazing sun 

 brings the prisoner to a miserable end ; being 

 crushed under foot by passing beasts and men, 

 etc. ; but however many are lost by the way, 

 there are enough tadpoles coming into the 

 world to make up for all accidents. 



In a week or longer, according to the temper- 

 ature of the water, the tadpoles begin to hatch. 

 The jelly absorbs the water and swells greatly, 

 the black beads get larger, and a slit shows at 

 their sides ; then they become more like miniature 

 dumb-bells, by which time they have worked up 

 to the surface of the jelly, through which they 

 push their way, falling on the mud at the bottom 

 of the pond as very tiny tadpoles. When first 

 hatched frog tadpoles have quite good tails, 

 but toad tadpoles when newly emerged have 

 hardly a vestige ; however it grows very quickly, 

 and is soon quite useful to steer with. At first 

 the little things just lie where they fell, but 

 soon they begin to wriggle about, and then to 

 swim. In their early stages they breathe by 



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