96 WATER AND ITS EVERYDAY USES 



the water or on the banks, while snails, mussels, clams, 

 slugs, and worms of various kinds may be found on the 

 mud of the bottom. Then there are fresh-water sponges 

 which look like plants ; little green or gray hydras, and 

 thousands of tiny water fleas which form the food of fish 

 and other inhabitants of the pond. It is true that there 

 are many animals which can live in water or in air, but 

 many of these begin their life in water. Mosquitoes, flies, 

 and dragon flies live in water in the earlier stages of their 

 existence, emerging into the air only for their adult life. 

 The mud at the bottom of the pond will disclose numerous 

 insect larvae. The surface film, the water, and the 

 muddy bottom will all reveal interesting forms of life. 

 Over 70 different forms of life have been found in one 

 eighth of a cubic inch of water when examined with a 

 compound microscope. The water is more densely 

 inhabited than the air or the land. 



American Museum of Natural History 



This is a glimpse of pond life as seen under a magnifying glass. 

 Can you name any of the things you see in the glass ? 



