42 THE WONDER OF LIFE 



spreads over the body and limbs. In the second place, 

 there is an external air-canal, a sort of closeable gutter on 

 the under surface of the body posteriorly, in which the 

 insect collects air from the outer world and from which it 

 can expel it into the surrounding clear fluid. If we watch 

 carefully we can see the larva raising the end of its body 

 to the surface of the froth and allowing the air-canal to fill ; 

 thereafter the canal is used like a pair of bellows and air 

 is blown into the fluid. Some of the air is of course utihzed 

 for the insect's breathing. In the third place, there are 

 minute wax glands on two of the segments of the hind 

 part of the body, which produce small quantities of wax. 

 This is acted on by a ferment in the exuded fluid and a 

 sort of soap is formed ! If it were not for this soap-pro- 

 duction the bubbles would not last so long as they do. 



It is a very remarkable device, living under water and 

 yet in the open air, conspicuous and yet concealed, in the 

 sunshine and yet cool ! Though the frog-hoppers are some- 

 times picked out from their frothy shelter by audacious 

 wasps and the like, there can be no doubt that they are 

 saved from many enemies and many risks by having 

 acquired the art of blowing soap-bubbles. For that is 

 precisely what happens. 



The Case of Horned Lizards. — Among terrestrial 

 animals, the hzards stand easily first in the exhibition of 

 quaint and bizarre forms. It seems as if Nature had, so to 

 speak, let herself go among lizards in quips and cranks. 

 How like a joke the chameleon and many another quaint 

 Uzard seems till we see them in their appropriate environ- 

 ment and at their daily work. We are thinking of forms 

 Hke the httle dragon (Draco volans), with its skin webbed 

 between enormously extended ribs ; or the Australian 



