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SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



NOTES OF A HOME NATURALIST. 

 By Mrs. Emily J. Climenson. 



T MUST tender my thanks to Mr. T.R. Billupsfor 

 his information (ante p. 232), as to my singular 

 pearlv-green boatmen being Velia aureus, which I 

 had shrewdly suspected, only in the books I possess 

 there is no perfect description of adult form ; to 

 Mr. H. Nunney I also offer thanks for his note 

 (ante p. 272), anent Hydra fusca, described by me 

 under date of September 27th (ante p. 232). That 

 particular creature disappeared permanently ; but 

 in another deep glass bottle in which I have kept 

 a water-spider and other things ever since the first 

 week in September last, on January 22nd this 

 year, I suddenly espied a curious creature which I 

 concluded was a Hydra. It was fastened to a piece 

 of A nacharsis weed, and when first seen resembled 

 a champignon fungus, a white stalk, a brown, 

 mushroom-like head, six tentacles, more or less 

 retracted, looking like white silk filaments. On 

 consulting my books I felt sure it was Hydra fusca. 

 January 23rd, the creature had elongated its body 

 till it resembled a tube, the tentacles reaching a 

 great distance, nearly two inches, one fastened on to 

 upper A nacharsis stalk as a sort of guy rope. January 

 24th, the creature more retractile ; 25th, greatly 

 elongated and a dark round spot at right-hand 

 base of body where stalk joins on. Sunday, 

 January 26th, the dark spot upon Hydra developed 

 into a perfect baby Hydra, first perceived at 2.30 

 p.m. ; it was still attached to its parent, two tentacles 

 only, but appeared to be feeding itself; so in 

 twenty-four hours the baby had been born and 

 was self-supporting though still attached. On 

 January 27th, mother and baby doing well ; but 

 another dark spot or bud visible on opposite side 

 of the mother. Fearing there was a lack of small 

 water animals to feed on, I poured cautiousl}' some 

 stagnant water on the top of the bottle, but in 

 doing so the Hydra disappeared, and when found, 

 after a weary search, the little one was washed off 

 and nowhere visible, the dark spot seemed invisible 

 on the mother, too. January 28th, Hydra at first 

 fat and squat, afterwards elongated. January 30th, 

 Hydra at first invisible, at last perceived at the top 

 of bottle, as it were, astride a root of duckweed, 

 one tentacle of the six broken almost short off, one 

 fastened in duckweed above ; through a hand lens the 

 creature was quite transparent, pinkish looking in 

 body, and at base of stalk a red spot was to be seen. 

 I was obliged to leave off my observation till next 

 day, the 31st, when I found the Hydra fixed to 

 to the side of the bottle, the shortened tentacle a 

 little longer and a little knob formed at the end. 

 Later, a small bud was perceptible near the base. 

 February 1st, injured tentacle longer; still a knob 



at the end ; the others much elongated, quite two 

 and a half inches long ; bud larger. February 2nd, 

 Hydra looks weak and small ; bud has detached. 



This Hydra must now be called No. 2. February 

 5th, Xo. 2. in great beauty and a large bud on it. 

 February 6th, bud on Xo. 2 perfect : fishing with two 

 tentacles : another bud forming on the other side ; old 

 Hydra Xo. 1 has a fresh bud forming. February 7th, 

 old Hydra's bud is perfect. February Sth. a trouble- 

 some caddis tumbling round in search of garments, 

 I removed him with nippers, which disturbed the 

 Hydra. On February 9th, to my astonishment the 

 water-spider, who was supposed to be dead or lost, 

 reappeared. It had hidden in the niche of duckweed 

 on the top of the bottle, and, I suspect, bit off the 

 old Hydra's tentacle ; the spider is suspended in 

 an air-bell head downwards. Both Hydra well. 

 Xo. 2 has both buds attached, one with four ten- 

 tacles, the other with six. February 10th, same 

 report. February nth, the water-spider very active 

 and hungry ; I carefully put in some small food and 

 saw it catch a cyclops. 



The spider has apparently made a nest, as a 

 cobweb with minute granules in a pouch-like form 

 is to be seen arranged in A nacharsis and FofUmalis 

 moss. The Hydra No. 2 and its two children, still 

 attached, all fishing, and their tentacles so mixed 

 together that they appear inextricable, like a mass 

 of ravelled floss silk. February 12th, spider has got 

 into its nest, head downwards in a crystal house. Old 

 Hydra has a perfec-. bud as long as herself attached 

 still to her. February 14th, the bigger bud on Hydra 

 No. 2 has separated from mother and floated up to 

 a stalk above, February 15th, the young Hydra 

 now attached to glass. February 16th, old Hydra has 

 separated from its young one. I notice in the little 

 ones, first two tentacles, then four, then five, and six 

 when they are perfect. I have now five Hy dra and 

 one bud, an increase of five since January 22nd. The 

 extraordinary retractibility and elasticity of the 

 tentacles and whole body must be seen to be 

 appreciated. 



Mr. C. Xicholson, with whom I am in corres- 

 pondence, has twice sent me, most carefully 

 packed, two small bottles with specimens of Hydra 

 viridis. In the first instance not one Hydra survived, 

 nor were there visible any remains out of fifteen. 

 In the second instance, three meagre-looking ones 

 were perceived, but in an hour or so disappeared. 

 In both cases Cauthccamptus had been placed with 

 Hydra for food, but they even seemed to lessen 

 hourly. Will anyone say if they have managed to 

 to pack Hydra to pass by post alive ? 



