A YEAR ON THE WAR-PATH 
1 1 1 
whole colony of hydras had been despatched. They were 
flourishing about an hour before we noticed their disappearance. 
He had evidently bided his time till the hydras had become a 
sufficiently large army to satisfy his maw, and had then enjoyed 
them as a salad. 
As the food became less plentiful we supplied him with 
worms and large quantities of ant eggs. Of the latter he was 
very fond, would rise to the surface for them, clutch four or 
five in his mandibles, and then balancing himself in his favourite 
attitude, head downwards, demolish them with serious delibera- 
tion. He came to us in February, and in May another and 
smaller Dytiscus was presented to us. Judging he would be 
good company for his fellow, we introduced number two into 
the same aquarium. But number one could brook no rival. 
He darted after the new-comer in a most ferocious manner, and 
in the scrimmage which ensued death must have followed had 
we not separated the combatants. 
In another and smaller aquarium we had isolated a stickle- 
back of murderous tendencies. He had bullied three other 
sticklebacks most outrageously, chasing them with his spines all 
erect and biting them viciously until their lives were a burden. 
So with this fierce little brigand we put the poor ill-used 
Dytiscus, whom we could almost imagine to be trembling with 
fear, after his terrible encounter with the giant. But no sooner 
did he spy the stickleback than his courage returned and he 
declared war. The stickleback ducked and dived, but the beetle 
darted after him with lightning speed, determined to have his 
blood. Once more we intervened, separated pursuer and pur- 
sued, and fishing out the beetle put him into a small garden 
pond to rampage at his will. 
On St. Valentine’s day we found our giant Dytiscus floating 
dead on the water. What had killed him we do not know. Old 
age, perhaps. He had been with us just about a year. Now 
as he lies before us stiff and harmless, we wonder how we could 
have been so easily deceived. The one point by which we might 
have satisfied ourselves, is his slender and jointed antennae. 
These should have unveiled the impostor, for the family to 
which Hydrophilus the vegetarian belongs have all clubbed or 
knobbed antennae. Ribbed or smooth armour carries no signifi- 
cance, for both families may have either ; but the antennae are 
very safe guides. Of course it is very easy to find where one 
was wrong, after the damage is done. Three snails still remain 
in the aquarium. Verily, they must be tough old generals, and 
of no pleasant flavour, for Dytiscus to have spared them. 
Except for the little mussels ( Sphcevium ), which seem to have 
borne a charmed existence, the water once so full of life is as 
barren as if it had been carefully filtered. The bell-flower 
animalcules that fringed every leaf of Anacharis are gone, so aie 
the Cyclops, Daplinias, Stentors, and water-bears. Even the pre- 
daceous water-hogs have vanished, and a patch of Spivogyva, 
which appeared and disappeared periodically in a game of hide- 
