398 HOMES WITHOUT HANDS. 



very abundant in that pleasant little river, and there was one fa- 

 vorite nook where a branch of a weeping-willow projected hori- 

 zontally, and afforded a seat over the dark deep pool, one side of 

 which was abrupt and the other sloping. 



Here the merry gyrini ran their ceaseless rounds, and the wa- 

 ter-boatmen rowed themselves in fitful jerks, or lay resting in a 

 contemplative manner on their oars. Now and then an unlucky 

 insect would fall from the tree into the water, and then uprose 

 from the dark depth a pair of dull eyes and a gaping mouth, and 

 then, with a glitter as of polished silver, the dace would disap- 

 pear with its prey. In the shelving part of the pool the caddis 

 worms moved slowly along, while the great dyticus beetle would 

 rise at intervals to the surface, jerk the end of his tail into the 

 air, and then dive below to the muddy bottom. This spot was 

 much favored by the nursemaid, for she had no trouble in watch- 

 ing -me as long as I could sit on the branch and look into the 

 water. True, I might have fallen into the river, but I never did ; 

 and, even had that accident occurred, it would have wrought no 

 harm except wet clothes, for I could swim nearly as well as the 

 water insects themselves. 



Close under the bank lived some creatures which always inter- 

 ested me greatly. Spiders they certainly were, but they appeared 

 to have the habits of the water beetle — coming slowly to the sur- 

 face of the water, giving a kind of flirt in the air, and then disap- 

 pearing into the depths, looking like balls of shining silver as 

 they sank down. I had been familiar with these creatures for 

 years before I met with them in some book, and learned that they 

 were known under the name of Water Spider {Argyronetra 

 aquatica). 



This spider is a most curious and interesting creature, because 

 it affords an example of an animal which breathes atmospheric 

 air constructing a home beneath the water, and filling it with the 

 air needful for respiration. 



The sub-aquatic cell of the Water Spider may be found in 

 many rivers and ditches where the water does not run very 

 swiftly. It is made of silk, as is the case with all spiders' nests, 

 and is generally egg-shaped, having an opening below. This cell 

 is filled with air; and if the Spider be kept in a glass vessel, it 

 may be seen reposing in the cell, with its head downward, after 

 the manner of its tribe. The precise analogy between this nest 

 and the diving-bell of the present day is too obvious to need a 



