LIFE IN STREAM AND POND 283 



is supported by the water it lives in. Leaves are either 

 numerous and much divided, as in plants under water, or 

 the leaves are brought to the surface by long thin stems, 

 which are supported by the water. This enables the 

 leaves to get sunlight. List as many other adaptations 

 as you can in your workbook. 



How Fish Live. You will usually find small minnows 

 in a brook, which can sometimes be caught in your net. 

 The chub or dace, minnows, and sticklebacks are often 

 found in brooks, while the perch and sunfish are quite 

 often found in small ponds. If you watch a fish carefully, 

 you will see that it frequently opens its mouth, as if it were 

 biting. It is doing this in order to take in water which 

 passes out over the gills or breathing organs. You have 

 all seen the gills, red feathery structures on each side 

 of the head, covered by the cheek bones. These gills are 

 able to take oxygen out of the water. Look for clear 

 round areas of gravel. These are nests of the sunfish, and 

 if you can see one of the fish there, it is quite likely to be 

 a male guarding the nest. The eggs are laid in these 

 nests, and sometimes a lucky stroke of the net will bring 

 in some, which you can watch develop in the school 

 aquarium or in a small saucer at home. 



Frogs and Turtles. Several different frogs may be 

 seen. The big bullfrog can often be caught with a bit of 

 red flannel on a hook. They are too large for your aqua- 

 rium. A better frog to keep is the spotted leopard frog 

 or the green frog. Notice how well fitted they are for 

 aquatic life. The slimy, streamlined body, the big webbed 

 feet, the eyes so placed that they can see without being 

 seen when they are at rest on the surface of the water. 

 If your trip is taken early in the spring, look for the eggs 

 of frogs and toads. The former are laid in masses of jelly, 

 usually attached to some sunken sticks or weeds near the 

 surface of the water. Toads' eggs are laid in strings of 



