264 



Marvels of the Universe 



Fhoio bij] il'latti'rs <t- Co. 



THE BROWN HYDRA. 



The Hydra is here shown fully extended, with a bud which 

 will drop off its parent and begin a separate existence. 



[l-lull,:rs d: Co. 

 HYDRA'S STINGING THREADS. 



A small portion of the Hydra is here greatly enlarged in 

 order to show the stinging threads with which it catches and 

 kills its food. 



plantain, it is one of the most graceful!}' beautifnl 

 of such growths. But one seldom hears a word 

 of its beauty, only of its supposed usefulness to 

 the thirsting traveller who is struggling across the 

 parched desert. The early travellers told how- 

 Providence had planted this tree in such places 

 for their special benefit, and many a pious lesson 

 has been founded upon this " fact." Even when 

 at the last gasp, with swollen tongue clinging to 

 the dry palate, and making utterance impossible, 

 when ever}' throbbing vein was crying out for 

 water, you had only to come upon the Traveller's 

 Tree to find all the hquid refreshment desired. 

 Cutting the leaf-stem across, a stream of pure, 

 cool water gushed out, and all was well. 



The plentiful supply of liquid is a real fact ; 

 and no doubt an exhausted tra\'eller would not be 

 too critical as to its flavour, said by later investi- 

 gators to be disagreeable. But the weak part of 

 the wonder-story is that the Traveller's Tree will 

 not grow in the desert, and insists upon ha^■ing 

 its roots in well-watered soil ! 



As may be seen from our fine photograph, the 

 gigantic long, flat leaves are arranged in two 

 opposite rows above the woody stem ; and these 

 leaves are used for thatch, for dishes, and small 

 portions folded serve for spoons. Its compara- 

 tively small flowers are clustered at the base 

 of the leaf-stalks. The plant is a native of 

 Madagascar. 



THE FRliSH- WATER HYDRA 



BY K. G. BLAIR, B.SC, F.E.S. 



To make acquamtance w th the Fresh-water Hydra 

 all that is necessary is to go and collect a small 

 bottle full of the floating duckweed or the thread- 

 like green weeds that are found in almost anj' 

 pond. If this material be emptied out into a 

 bowl of clean water and allowed to stand for an 

 hour or two in a good light, the Hydras that are 

 almost sure to be present will have had time to 

 recover from the shock of the disturbance, and 

 man}? will probably be found to have attached 

 themselves to the sides of the vessel and thus 

 be more readily visible. They may be seen as a 

 slender green stem, about one-sixth of an inch 

 long, standing out from the side, each with a 

 crown of about eight still more slender tentacles 



