POND LIFE 



7O5 



/./.U.V.E.I AlRICULARLi. 



by their untiring efforts to cx})l()re. 

 or walk over his nest. A Caddis-worm 

 would come crawling along, quite regard- 

 less of the rapid, warning movements 

 of the little fish, and blunder 

 right on to the top of the nest. 

 The Stickleback would rush at 

 the writhing Caddis, pull at, and 

 more or less successfully disen- 

 tangle the obviously protesting 

 insect, haul it clear of the nest, 

 and after administering a good 

 shaking, carry the Caddis off 

 and deposit it at the furthest 

 corner of the tank. Not infre- 

 quently by the time the indig- 

 nant parent returned, he found 

 another Caddis so hopelessly 

 mixed up in the silken threads 

 of the nest, that he had to 

 content himself with making 

 sudden angry little rushes and 

 tugs at the entangled insect 

 until it managed to climb out. It is 

 certain that during the next two or 

 three days every one of those Caddis- 

 worms fell into the nest three or four 



times, and was hauled out. and across 

 the tank, by the infuriated Stickleback, 

 but they did not seem to gather wis- 

 dom by their experience, but bUssfully 

 continued to crawl back again to the nest 

 as if they were so many needles attracted 

 by a powerful magnet. At last the tragic 

 end came. In the course of an extra 

 vigorous tussle the nest was torn to 

 pieces, and the eggs dispersed. In an 

 instant the other Sticklebacks, who up to 

 that time had from a distance been 

 passive spectators of the struggle, joined 

 in the fray, and for a few moments a 

 scene of unseemly confusion took place, 

 as they swam rapidly backwards and for- 

 wards over the ruins of the nest, greedily 

 devouring the exposed and unprotected 

 eggs. In \'ain the frantic little father 



SHELLS OF PALUDISA. 



THE GREAT SWAN MUSSEL {ANODOSTA CYGNEA). 



Stickleback tried to drive them off; the 

 commotion only served further to dis- 

 integrate the nest and scatter the eggs, 

 and in a very few minutes this little 

 aquatic tragedy was ended. 



The Newts, or Efts, are true pond- 

 dwellers, and it is an interesting sight 

 in late spring to watch the females de- 

 positing their eggs, one at a time, on the 

 leaves of the water plants. The Newt, 

 after depositing each egg, carefully folds 

 the leaf over, so as to shickl the precious 

 I gg from observation. Later on the little 

 Xewt-tadj^oles make their appearance, 

 and are well worth collecting and trans- 

 ferring to the aquarium, for they present 

 a curious ajipearance, with their plume- 

 like external branchi;c, or gill tufts. 



