226 



Marvels of the Universe 



I'hoto (/I/] 



THE CROWNED HORN. 



This beautiful creature lives in a transparent bag. from 



IFkUters d: C'\ 



MINUTE MARVELS 

 IX THE POND 



BY WILLIAM WEST, L.D.S. 



Amongst the many marvels of 

 the universe there are none 

 more wonderful than the 

 minute forms of both vegetable 

 and animal life to be found in 

 the water of ponds and ditches, 

 which need not of necessity be 

 stagnant to be prolific. The 

 most interesting forms inhabit 

 clear ponds and running 

 streams, in which aquatic 

 plants grow. If we take a 

 sample of water from one of 

 these ponds and examine it 

 carefully we shall probably see 

 minute green spheres revolving 

 over and over in their progress 

 through the water. They are 

 known by a name which means 

 Revolving Globes, and are 

 claimed by the botanist as 

 plants and by zoologists as animals. They were by the earlier microscopists supposed to be 

 single organisms ; but they are now proved to be made up of innumerable pear-shaped cells united 

 into a spherical network. From each of these cells project two minute lashes, which by their 

 regular movements propel the compound bodj^ through the water. In the interior of the network 

 sphere are seen smaller spheres, which are set free by the break-up of the outer and larger one. 

 In their interior may be seen eight still smaller globes, so that we often get in the one sphere 

 several generations visible. About twenty of the larger globes placed side by side would 

 measure one inch. 



Let us examine a piece of weed from the same pond, and perchance we shall see a small brown, 

 rod-hke body, about the twentieth of an inch in length, projecting at right angles to the green weed. 

 This is the house of a marvellous Uttle animal called the Little Brickmaker. The animal, as soon 

 as it is hatched from the egg, attaches itself to a piece of aquatic weed and sets to work to build a 

 tube around itself to live in. To enable it to do so, it is provided with four beautiful fan-like lobes, 

 which radiate from the central mouth. These lobes have their edges fringed with fine transparent 

 hairs capable of rapid movement, which fall and rise in rotation, one after the other, so rapidly 

 that their motion produces the appearance of four revolving wheels. The object of this action is 

 to create a vortex in the water the centre of which is the animal's mouth, so that any particle 

 of food coming within the current is drawn down the miniature whirlpool and swallowed. The 

 Little Brickmaker seems to have the power of discrimination, for what it does not require for food 

 it rejects, though sometimes it is captured again for brick-making. The recaptured particle is 

 conveyed to a little receptacle situated at the base of the fans on the outer surface. The particles 

 are drawn into this chamber and made to revolve rapidly, until they become solid enough for the 

 brickmaker's purpose ; when this is so, he swings his body over to the side and deposits and cements 



k'KicK it e-xtends itself 

 to catch food. Tfie mouth is surrounded Dy the crown of five arms. These arms 

 bear rows of fine hairs whose movements create currents which bring food to the 

 mouth. About thirty-six of these creatures placed end to end would measure one 

 inch. 



