POLLIWOG PROBLEMS 



THE ancient Phoenicians, Egyptians, Hindus, 

 Japanese, and Greeks all shared the belief 

 that the whole world was hatched from an egg 

 made by the Creator. This idea of development 

 is at least true in the case of every living thing 

 upon the earth to-day; every plant springs from 

 its seed, every animal from its egg. And still 

 another sweeping, all-inclusive statement may be 

 made, — every seed or egg at first consists of but 

 one cell, and by the division of this into many 

 cells, the lichen, violet, tree, worm, crab, butter- 

 fly, fish, frog, or other higher creature is formed. 

 A little embryology will give a new impetus to 

 our studies, whether :we watch the unfolding 

 leaves of a sunflower, a caterpillar emerging from 

 its egg, or a chick breaking through its shell. 



The very simplest and best way to begin this 

 study is to go to the nearest pond, where the 

 frogs have been croaking in the evenings. A 

 search among the dead leaves and water-soaked 

 sticks will reveal a long string of black beads. 

 These are the eggs of the toad; if, however, the 

 beads are not in strings, but in irregular masses, 

 then they are frogs' eggs. In any case take home 

 a tumblerful, place a few, together with the thick, 

 transparent gelatine, in which they are encased, 



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