1878] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
1A7 
V\ 
Fig. 9. —DIPPING TUBE. 
qnently required to catch small objects that we wish to 
examine. Suppose we have a jar of water in which the 
volvox is seen traveling about. You take the tube in 
hand, with the forefinger pressed over its upper end, as 
shown in figure 9. So 
long as the upper end of 
the tube is kept closed, no 
water can enter the lower 
| end. Now if you direct 
the lower end of the tube, 
keeping the finger closely 
pressed over the upper 
end, towards the volvox or 
other object which you 
wish to catch, even if no 
nearer to it than half an 
•inch or more, and sudden¬ 
ly remove the finger from 
the upper end of the tube, 
the water will at once rush 
in'o the tube, and carry 
" with it the volvox. Now 
put the finger again over 
the tipper end of the tube, 
and lift that from the wa¬ 
ter. It will hold the wa¬ 
ter, and whatever you 
have caught. Having your 
volvox in the tube, you 
wish to get it into the cell 
of your microscope. Here 
no description will help 
you, you must exercise 
tact. You have perfect control over the water in the 
tube; by letting the air in from above, by the slightest 
raising of the finger, the water will flow out at the lower 
end. I could show you in a minute how to get the volvox 
from the tube to the cell, though I can’t readily describe 
it, but if you have any gumption, you will, if not at the 
first trial, succeed at the second attempt. Having the 
REVOLVING GLOBE, OR VOLVOX, 
in the cell, you will examine it, and a puzzling thing you 
will find it. A globular, greenish body that moves about, 
going around and around, in a most knowing manner ; 
and you will say : “ What a curious little animal.” But 
it is not an animal at all; it is really a plant, or rather a 
collection of plants. You know that the plants you are 
most familiar with, are fast rooted in the ground, and do 
not move at all. But there are some water-plants that 
act so much like animals in their movements that they 
were for a long time considered as animals. The volvox 
is only one of these strange plants that move about in the 
water. As you look at it 
under the Microscope, hav¬ 
ing placed it in the cell, 
with a few drops of water, 
it will appear as in figure 
10, a globe with green 
spots all over it, and it 
may be you can see the 
hairs on the surface,which, 
by their movements, make 
it sail about. I can now 
only tell you about this 
strange object, that it is 
a colony of distinct individuals collected in a globe 
form. Each individual plant is a little green bag, 
with two hairs, as in figure 11, and many of 
these unite to make the globe, all with then- 
hairs outward, and as these hairs are capable of 
rapid motion, they roll the whole along very curi¬ 
ously. Before I can tell you more about the 
volvox , I must examine some myself, to see how 
far our Microscope will show its history. As it 
is large enough to be seen by the naked eye, I 
know that it will be worth looking for, and 
that its movements, should you catch it, will 
iJ " afford you much amusement..,.I wish to sug¬ 
gest, as a great help to the Microscope, 
A LITTLE AQUARIUM, 
which may be any glass vessel, a common fruit jar, 
answering as well as anything. Into this you can put 
various water-plants, with water from a pool or pond, and 
yon will find numerous things in the jar that you can 
catch with your dipping tubes to examine with the 
Microscope. Later in the season, when the Duck weeds 
appear on the surface of quiet waters, you must put a lot 
of them into your jar. These are curious little plants, 
shaped like flax-seed, but larger, that float upon the 
surface, with their roots hangingdown in the water. The 
roots of these are the favorite resort of many curious 
microscopic animals., and will afford yon a harvest of curi¬ 
ous things. In the mean time put some clean gravel, an 
inch or so, in the bottom of your jar, and then put into it 
any delicate water-plants you come across. If they were 
rooted where yon found them, tie a small stone to their 
roots and place them in the jar. Put in some snails, that 
yon may watch their eggs, as mentioned last month. 
Fig. 10.— volvox. 
FOR THIS MONTH, 
besides what special things have been mentioned, you 
will need to look after the eggs of insects of various kinds, 
some of which are objects of great beauty. Insects, as a 
general thing, place their eggs, for safety, on the under¬ 
side of a leaf, though some do not observe this precau¬ 
tion — Small flowers will now be abundant, and you will 
find that even the smallest, is an object of beauty when 
magnified....Yearn will now be plenty, and it will 
be well to examine all those that are rough or 
downy, as you will often find that the scales which 
give the roughness, and the hairs that make them 
downy, are beautiful objeets under the Microscope. Of 
course I can not suggest every use you will find for the 
Microscope, and I have only tried to point out the most 
easily found, curious things, with a view to showing you 
how much is hidden from ordinary sight, and also to get 
you in the way of examining every thing that you meet in 
your daily walks and work. The Doctor. 
A«j Easily Made Eol-I*ot. 
Some time ago we told of some of the methods of 
catching eels ; now “G. L.,” of Machias, Me., sends a 
description of an Eel-pot, as a trap for eels is called, 
which any boy can construct, and which will no doubt 
answer as well as any. A common flour barrel has many 
half inch holes bored all over it, and a piece about 8 in. 
square cut from one side for a door; the pieces cut out 
will make the cover, which may be put on with a leather 
hinge and a button to hold it fast. In one head (or both 
if you choose) put a spout, flush or even with the head 
on the outside, and projecting into the barrel about 10 
inches. Upon the end of this, within the barrel, draw a 
leg of an old stocking, or a piece of one, to hang down 
over the end of the spout. Stones enough to sink it, are 
put into the barrel. Fasten a line to the trap, to the 
other end of which tie a stick of wood for a buoy, so 
that you can find it, and having put in the bait and made 
the cover fast, you are ready to sink it where eels are 
to be found. The engraving shows the arrangement; a 
is the door, 6 the spout, the dotted lines showing the part 
within the trap, with the stocking leg (c) over the end. 
This stocking leg is the ingenious part of the whole af¬ 
fair. An eel, attracted by the bait, will make its way in¬ 
to the spout and push through the stocking leg, which, 
as soon as it has passed through, will drop down and act 
like a valve to cover the entrance, and when once fairly 
in the trap, rve don’t think that the slipperiest of these 
most slippery fishes could ever find the way out. One 
correspondent charges us with publishing 
“an injurious scandal” 
about his favorite fish. We said of the bait to put into the 
pot, “no matter if somewhat old,” as we had long ago 
learned from experienced fishermen. This gentleman (a 
correspondent of “Aunt Sue,” who sends us the letter, 
(done with a “ machine,”) says that the eel is very parti¬ 
cular about its food, and if one wishes to catch him, he 
must use only “bait of the freshest and sweetest.” 
Aunt Sue’s Pn*zle-ltox. 
ALPHABETICAL QUERIES. 
What letter, inverted, names a vegetable? 
What two letters, right side up, name two other 
vegetables ? 
What letter names an insect ? 
What letter names a pronoun ? 
What three letters name three verbs ? 
What, letter names a bird ? 
What letter names “ the window of the soul ” ? 
What letter gives an order to an animal ? 
What letter names a river ? 
What letter asks a question ? 
What letter is twice yourself? 
What letter gives a hint ? 
W hat colored letter gives a geographical name ? 
What speckled letter can anticipate? 
What foreign letter names a title ? 
What letter, with a piece of wood over it, names 
another title ? 
What letter names a measure ? Johnnie. 
J. A. B. 
CHARADE. 
“Breakers ahead ” ; the sailor cries, 
From the tap’ring mast’s high head. 
“Bout ship,” the watchful pilot’s shout, 
“ Oil my first there’s naught to dread.” 
My second both as first and last, 
Enfolds most every land, 
Whilst not a single bounding sea 
But’s limited by its hand. 
My third, how welcome in the spring, 
Companion of the tender lamb. 
I’m one possession of the poor, 
Which wealth may not command. 
O’er my whole the youthful mother toils, 
Her expectant babe t’adorn, 
Again with care elaborates, 
Her widow’s grief to mourn. 
Anon Ihe lawyer me demands, 
His brief and argument t’arrange, 
Then I puzzle clerks and all 
With figures curious and strange. 
The printer too with fingers deft 
Selects me from his case, 
And in great form I'm daily spread, 
T’enligliten every race. 
With joyous youth I haste to school, 
Till comes the glad vacation, 
When high in air, I lake my flight, 
Sure sign of exultation. 
NUMERICAL ENIGMA. 
I am composed of 71 letters; 
My 1, 61, 7, 35. 45, is a weapon. 
My 8, 21, 40, 72, 55, is a vegetable useful for its shell. 
My 10, 3, 52, 41, 69, is an animal whose fur is valuable. 
My 12, 24, 8, 36, 64, is a musical instrument. 
My 14, 2, 56, 46, 30, is a part of the body. 
My 16, 5, 25, 42, 51, is a bird. 
My 23, 33,15, 63, 42, is a domestic animal. 
My 68, 53, 37, 16, 2, is ditto. 
My 47, 20, 8, 34, 4, is a»wild animal. 
My 42,1,18, 73, 31, is the name of one of the gods. 
My 26, 16, 42, 6,19, is ditto. 
My 58, 9, 56, 7, 61, is the name of a goddess. 
My 70, 15, 23, 49, 3, was the goddess of the family. 
My 17, 41, 66, 67, 59, is a very lazy animal. 
My 29, 44, 71, 39, 11, is a small bird with long wings. 
My 37, 3, 62, 28, 57, is a black bird. 
My 50, 38, 24, 43, 5, is a bird remarkable for its direct¬ 
ly ascending flight. 
My 32, 4, 75. 22, 13, is a fish. 
My 44, 27, 60, 36, 17, is a grain. 
My 54, 48, 65, 74, 10, is an aquatic flowering plant. 
My whole is a proverb. Isola. 
CROSS-WORD, 
My first is in canter but not in walk. 
My next is in scolding hut not in talk, 
My third is in cavern but not in dell, 
My fourth is in Sarah but not in Belle, 
My fifth is in minute but not in hour, 
My sixth is in oatmeal but not in flour, 
My seventh is in ginger but not in mace. 
My eighth is in contest but not in race, 
My ninth is in spider hut not in fly, 
My tenth is in rainy but not in dry, 
My eleventh is in scour but not in wash, 
My twelfth is in pumpkin but not in squash, 
My thirteenth is in purple but not in white, 
My fourteenth is in darkness hut not in night: 
My whole is a city of some renown 
On the map of Europe ’tis written down. C. E. A. 
ALPHABETICAL ARITHMETIC. 
LPM)SROENP(ASRO 
RAT 
A M P E 
APOT 
A P S N 
P_T_T M 
A T R P 
A T A R 
L E S. 
pi. 
Klacb dale sode ton innotac a glenis cliprate fo deal, 
tub si codcmops fo branoc dan niro. 
DROP LETTER PUZZLE. 
‘ 1 —e—e—c—t— u—a— i —c—o—a—e—s—a—e—t—1—y— 
n—a—e— o— k—d—n— h—o—h- -r— - i—e. ” 
John W. Wheatley. 
TRANSPOSITIONS. 
(Fill the blanks in each sentence with the same word 
transposed.) 
1. Do not-your child to-—. 
2. The glory of-is no-. 
3. The carpenter gave me a- 
4. After crossing the-they ■ 
5. I bought a-and got it — 
M. P. 
SQUARE WORD. 
1. The sky. 2. An animal. 3. Astonished. 4. A mark. 
5. To weaken. 6. An adder. Little Folks. 
