MY WATER-LOVERS. 39 



steer one of the black-headed worms to the harbor 

 within the Fittest's horns. Then, feeling my 

 straw tickle, the worm would forget its caution 

 and wriggle directly before the Fittest's little 

 black eyes, and then he saw at last the meaning 

 of my efforts and was soon waving his victim in 

 triumph. 



After one of these enforced meals, the Fittest 

 descended on a day to the bottom of the water in 

 the tooth-powder dish where he resided and in- 

 dulged in a season of meditation. He disdained 

 to eat, and only occasionally varied his medita- 

 tions with strolls around the floor of his home. 

 These strolls exhibited one of the Fittest's accom- 

 plishments ; he could travel backward as well as 

 forward. He was also as flexible as the Japanese 

 boy one sees at acrobatic entertainments ; he 

 could make a perfect ring of himself. Did some 

 invisible speck of dirt attach itself to his tail dur- 

 ing his promenades, all the Fittest had to do 

 was to bend his head straight back over his back, 

 take hold of his tail, and, straightway removing 

 the trouble with his pincers, go on with his pil- 

 grimage in peace. 



Harmless as the Fittest was, he must have had 

 some terrors for a minute May -fly larva that 

 dwelt in the same tooth-powder dish. The little 

 May-fly developed a habit of giving a rapid skip 

 and hopping over the Fittest whenever they met. 

 But, alas for the Fittest, not even a May-fly- 



