3 H THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



Thirty years ago, we did the best we could. I was living in 

 Nice in a private house, since turned into a hotel, which stood on 

 a projecting rock. My fishing-ground was in the Bay of Villa- 

 franca, which, cutting deep into the shore a few kilometres to the 

 eastward, was inexhaustibly rich in swimming creatures. I had 

 come to an understanding with an intelligent fisherman. When 

 the weather seemed favorable to the flowing of rich tides into the 

 bay, Joacchino would come early in the morning to my house 

 and tell me that the Graziella lay at the dock. Then he would 

 pack two baskets with large, wide-mouthed glasses ; I would stuff 

 into my pockets as many small glasses as they would hold, and 

 take a net made of the finest bolting-cloth stretched upon a cop- 

 per ring, and furnished with a long, strong handle. Joacchino 

 had a similar net of his own in the boat. Magnifying glasses and 

 compasses, hung by ribbons from the neck, completed the outfit, 

 which was quickly deposited in the boat ; Joacchino rowed, for 

 we only went out when the air was still, and I steered. In about 

 an hour we were in the bay. 



" Do you see the tide, Joacchino ? " 



" There, sir, before the Sanita," answered Joacchino, after 

 having risen and looked around. 



I saw, indeed, the clear streaks with smooth, unruffled surface 

 that usually denote the coming in of the tide. 



" I hardly think," I said, " that we shall fill our vessels to-day. 

 It is getting cloudy, and the sun is not shining." 



" So much the better, sir. The sirocco is blowing outside on 

 the sea, and will come in here in the afternoon. Do you see the 

 long swells on the tide which run from the offing along the coast 

 to the back of the bay ? I will wager that the stream reaches to 

 the other side of the bay, over by the lighthouse, and from there 

 to the mouth. That is a good sign. The more cloudy the sky is, 

 the more butterflies we shall catch." 



"We must go out from the land to catch butterflies. We 

 might perhaps get a few swallow-tails, mourning-cloaks, or a few 

 pretty Jasons out there ; but here — " 



Joacchino somewhat nervously drove the boat by vigorous 

 oar-strokes to the edge of the stream, which was really swarming 

 with animals of various kinds. 



While the MeduscB and the polyps had some attractions for 

 him, he aimed particularly for a place where a transparent animal 

 was making a fierce eddy in the stream. I at once recognized the 

 indomitable creatures that turn so wildly in circles. It was a 

 perfectly transparent Pterotrachea, about a span in length, as 

 thick as one's finger, which keeps its long snout incessantly foray- 

 ing around. 



" Where you see them," said Joacchino, " the butterflies are not 



