182 UPLAND AND MEADOW. 



upon fishes, some upon mollusks, others upon insects 

 not always widely different from themselves, but what 

 enemies have these water-bugs ? True, a Pelocoris will 

 devour a Corixa, but this is a trivial matter, and there 

 seems to be no decided check to their increase ; and it 

 is not improbable that the countless thousands of water- 

 boatmen and allied forms may be the cause of the scarc- 

 ity of fish in ponds apparently well suited to them. 

 When we consider what defenceless creatures newly 

 hatched fishes are, and that no sooner do they essay to 

 lead independent lives than Notonectse, Ranatrae, Be- 

 lostoraae, or Dytisci, by scores, are lying in wait for 

 them, it is not to be wondered at that, out of a thou- 

 sand eggs, so small a percentage live to maturity. 



Surely the fauna of that mass of water-weeds must 

 end here! Does it, indeed? If the entomologist 

 should take my place, he could give us a score of enter- 

 taining lectures upon the insect-life that, crawling from 

 the mass, slowly made its way back to its home in 

 Poaetquissings. If the microscopist should happen — 

 but no, I will not let him come. Nothing short of eter- 

 nity would enable him to get through. For fear of 

 such a disaster I will kick the weeds back, before they 

 become too dry to take root and grow again ; only 

 pausing for a moment over curious masses of amber- 

 colored jelly, that I see adhering to bits of stick* 

 What are they ? Jelly-fishes, my neighbors call them ; 

 and in the books they figure as Pectinatella magnifica. 

 I am puzzled to describe them in an intelligible way. 

 To the unaided eye they appear as a structureless gum 

 or jelly ; but, in fact, every mass is the home of count- 



