Some Notes on the Creatures 
OF WHICH 
PHOTOGRAPHS APPEAR IN 
THE FOREGOING PAGES . . 
BY 
Walford b. Johnson. 
Before describing in detail the creatures figured in the preceding 
illustrations it would be as well to give some idea as to the best 
places to find them and the most advantageous method of effecting 
their capture. Without some means of catching them it would be 
almost impossible for anyone to be certain of meeting with the 
wholly aquatic forms, for many lie buried in the mud during the 
daytime and only come out to feed during the night. '1 herefore 
some way of making them come to us must be devised before we 
can hope to make their acquaintance. Of course, everything 
required for such work in the way of nets, cans, and other impedi- 
menta can be purchased from the numerous dealers in those articles, 
but if desired most serviceable nets may be made at home with some 
stout iron wire and a yard or two of “ leno." Most of the frames 
are made circular, but a more satisfactory shape is that of a triangle. 
A net made on the latter principle will fit the bottom of a pond 
much better than the other and let far less of the creatures to be 
captured pass under it. A piece of stout string (Venetian blind cord 
is the best for the purpose, as it does not fray in the water) should 
be tied to each of the three corners of the net frame, and about a 
yard distant from it they should be all three knotted together. Any 
long length of cord should now be attached to this, and the whole 
will make a very serviceable dredge, which will if necessary reach 
the middle of the pond. A hand-net is very useful at times, but the 
creatures which are wanted most have a nasty habit of remaining just 
two inches beyond its longest reach. A can may be taken to the 
scene of operations to bring home the captives if desired, but it is 
not necessary, for all the creatures figured in the illustrations can be 
transported long distances wrapped in wet or even moist water weed, 
so long as they are kept cool. Almost every pond that is permanent 
will yield some aquatic life all the year round, even when cov- 
ered with a layer of ice, but the waters which contain most are 
those with an abundance of healthy aquatic plants growing in a 
thick layer of mud. Here almost every kind of pond life will find 
ample food and shelter. Though every season of the year the ponds 
will be lenanted with a variety of life, the very best time for the 
naturalist is between early spring and midsummer. Then it is that 
the temporary inhabitants of the water will be undergoing their 
metamorphoses. If the pond and season have been properly chosen, 
each time the net is landed it will be found to contain several newts, 
scores of wriggling tadpoles, and numbers of jumping water insects. 
The dredge should be weighted at one side, thrown out a good 
distance, and allowed to sink as deep as it will. Then it must be 
drawn over the bottom, passing through as much of the weed as 
