68 BOYS AND GIRLS IN BIOLOGY. 



side of the channel. There is one great difference, 

 though : in Venice the gondolier has nothing to do but 

 row along the canals which are made for him ; but the 

 amoeba-gondolier has to make his way as he goes. No 

 wonder you open your eyes. It is enough to open any 



Fig. 64. 



The AmosBxE pushing their Way among the Red Cells. 



one's eyes, to think of the thousands of these odd creat- 

 ures that go half creeping, half walking through one's 

 veins. You know, people sometimes talk about their 

 " blood crawling," but very few people know how it 

 crawls. But queer and even awful as these little fel- 

 lows seem to be, they are really among our very best 

 friends, and the more we know about them the better. 

 They belong to the kind of folks that improve upon 

 acquaintance. A great deal has been learned about 

 them during the last few years, and there is a great 



