RECREA TION. 



2 5 



advance the mighty dollar seems to lose 

 much of its charm and power. 



The reason? Nature herself must 

 explain. 



For me the advent of May means a 

 ramble over the "downs" and greater 

 hills, near the city, before starting 

 for the office and the duties of the 

 day. 



Aside from the invigorating influence 

 of air, and sky, and field, I dearly love 

 the excitement of anticipation. Who 

 can foretell the treasures of a morning's 

 search ! For I quite agree with "A 

 Traveler from Altruria" — to walk simply 

 for the sake of exercise, is very poor en- 

 joyment. 



My purpose is to glean from these 

 i( downs" enough of nature in her sum- 

 mer dress, to enliven our little winter 

 home with at least one bright attractive 

 spot. 



It shall be a crystal lake. 



With living water from verdant grove, 



Breathing of nature and of love. 



And perhaps, who knows ? Some 

 dismal winter evening, when brother 

 Charlie is out of sorts, and beloved Wall 

 street has failed to fill his measure of 

 happiness, my little lake may display 

 enough of science and of love to wean 

 him for a time from those gloomy 

 golden heaps that have just slipped by 

 again. 



I shall try it any way ! So off I go with 

 pole and net and rubber bag. 



In twenty minutes I am on my happy 

 hunting grounds, and if 1 mistake not, 

 yonder looks a likely pond. 



Dip number one. Down it goes right 

 into the muddy bottom, my nice clean 

 linen net ! A little twist — a firm hold, 

 and up it comes again leaving a dark 

 spreading trail behind. What rich green 

 plant is this, with its small leaves all 

 crisp and curled ? 



Why it must be anacharis. Just what 

 I want for my aquarium, but 1 shall not 

 forget the unhappy experience of the 

 late German emperor who imported this 

 ' beautiful American pondweed " for his 

 canals and passed strict laws for its pro- 

 tection ; for it finally grew to such pro- 

 portions that it impeded the passage of 

 the boats, and now a heavy fine is im- 

 posed on any one caught putting the 

 pond pest," as they now call it, in other 

 German waters. 



This plant is fairly covered with those 



graceful little hydra that do such wonder- 

 ful things, although just now they only 

 look like uninteresting bits of jelly. 



Perhaps you and I and Charlie will 

 devote a winter evening to these little 

 hydra. 



That bushy looking weed floating 

 down there ought to look nice in my 

 clear glass tank. I may as well select 

 half a dozen of the thinner strings. 

 Why, of course, this will look perfectly 

 lovely in one corner of the aquarium, 

 with its horn-like fruit, from which it 

 gets its name hornwort, or hornweed. 



Oh ! What beautiful little green stars 

 those are ! How gracefully they move 

 up and down on the water. 



I wonder if my pole will reach them ? 



Pshaw ! It's just too short. 



Wait a minute, there's a stone. Now 

 with one foot on here and one on the 



bank, I can just oh, I'm so nervous. 



" Take care, take care, little girl, that's 

 dangerous." Oh ! oh ! ah ! I've got 

 them, and they are beauties, too. Roots 

 and all. Starwort must have its roots, 

 thin as they are, or it will not grow 

 well. 



By the way, that warning voice I 

 thought I heard just now, did not sound 

 like brother Charlie's. 



I wonder if if any one else will 



be interested in my aquarium. 



The sun way up there already! Well, 

 I'll just try a dip in the old mill pond 

 and then start for home. 



What lovely mosses grow all along 

 here ; green, brown, red, gray, and even 

 purple. I never saw such variety, but 

 none so pretty to me as the neglected 

 willow-moss I often find in the running 

 brooks. 



Let me see, which way do I go now ? 

 Oh, yes ! down there by the big willow 

 takes me to old mill pond. It was not 

 so far after all 



My ! What's all this wriggling and 

 squirming about ? What's the matter 

 down there ? 



Well ! I declare if it isn't one of those 

 amusing little newts, or water-lizards, as 

 Harry calls them. But why all this 

 turning and twisting, Mr. Demyctilus ? 

 to honor you with your scientific name. 

 Oh ! I see you are changing your skin, 

 and have it clear of your head and shoul- 

 ders, but all your poor little efforts 

 fail to free you further. 



Dear ! dear ! what will you do? You 



