208 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[Mat, 
TOYS & §ms ? (BdDWMMS 
The Doctor’s Talks. 
A few years ago a little was said iu these talks 
about the hatching of the eggs of frogs and toads, 
from which tadpoles came, and the changes of 
these into frogs. Some of the youngsters have 
asked me to tell more about these. I do not won¬ 
der at your curiosity in this matter, for it allows us 
to see probably as much as we ever shall see of 
The Very Beginning of Life. 
It is a matter not merely gratifying to the curiosity 
of young folks, but is a subject that may occupy 
the most learned student. We see what seems to 
he shapeless matter, gradually take on form—to 
have parts or organs, to have a right side and a left, 
an upper and an under side. In time it moves and 
Fig. 1.— A cluster op progs’ eggs. 
starts out with life, a new being that can see and 
feel, have wants and dislikes. It is to me all very 
wonderful. Just as I was thinking where I should 
be likely to find some frog’s eggs, when spring 
should come, so that I might have material for 
drawings there came to me my monthly visitor from 
England, called “Science Gossip,” and the first 
thing I saw upon opening it was an article by a 
Mr. Robson on this very subject. As it was the 
March number of the “ Gossip ” I thought English 
frogs must begin very early, but I found he was 
giving his last year’s observations in time for those 
who would study the eggs this year. Here was a 
piece of good fortune, for while his talk was for 
old people, his drawings would answer for our 
young people, as English frogs hatch much in the 
same way that Yankee ones do. Indeed it makes 
little difference whether you find the eggs of either 
of the several kinds of frogs or toads. The 
changes are much the same. So the first thing is 
To find the Egas or Spawn. 
This is not difficult for those who live in the 
country, but those who live in villages or cities must 
go to the outskirts 
where there are pools 
and ditches left by the 
spring rains, but will all 
be dry by mid-summer. 
Almost anywhere along 
the shallow margin of a 
ditch or pool, a little 
search will find the 
spawn. A naturalist, 
no matter whether he 
goes to collect “Potato Bugs” or Hippopotami, 
always, before starting, considers 
His Necessary Outfit, 
and success, even in hunting frog-spawn, depends 
upon starting right. You will go in damp places, 
therefore will need rubber or other water-tight shoes 
or boots. You will have something wet to bring 
home, and it will be well to take a small bottle 
with a wide mouth, or a little tin box, and if you 
have a tin lunch box or other tin box of that size 
or larger, take that with or without the others; 
put some bits of stiff brown paper into your pock¬ 
et ; if you have no knife to cut one, a small walk¬ 
ing stick may be useful. If you have never seen 
any frog-spawn—for we will call it all frog, though 
some may be of the toad—you will want 
To Know What to Look For. 
The spawn floats just at the surface of the water, 
and may be in distinct strings, but more usually in 
a mass, as large as you can hold in your hand, or 
Fig. 2.— EGGS AT THE END 
OF THE FIFTH DAY. 
bigger. It is nearly transparent, looking like white 
of egg or clear tapioca jelly; through it will be 
large numbers of little black or darkish spots. A 
few eggs, 12 or 20, will answer your purpose as well 
as a quart. Indeed, you will, if there are but few, 
care for and watch them better; they will seem 
more precious than if you had hundreds. One of 
Fig. 3.— SIXTH DAY. Fig. 4.— EIGHTH DAY. 
the first things a young naturalist should learn is, 
not to waste material. Regard each egg as if you 
had to learn all you could from that one and could 
get no other; by beginning in this way, when you 
get hold of something really rare, you will know 
how to make the most of it. What looks like a 
mass with specks through it, is really separate eggs, 
as in figure 1, each surrounded by a transparent 
membrane or bag, which represents the egg-shell. 
Separate a few eggs from the mass ; don’t be afraid 
to handle it (as it will not, as some boys say, “ make 
you have warts”), and place in your vial or small 
tin box; if you have neither, make a horn of stiff 
paper and put the spawn into that. Now look 
about in the water for some 
Fine-Leaved Water Plants, 
selecting those that are the most delicate, and look 
as if they would continue to grow below the sur¬ 
face of the water. The stick is to help you to get 
these; if you find two or more kinds, take some 
of each ; give them a rinse to remove any mud, and 
place them in your larger tin box, or if you have 
nothing else, take paper again. Now, having your 
spawn and your plants, get them home before they 
dry up. As to watch your eggs you wish to both 
look at ttyem while they are in the water and to 
Fig. 5.—END OF THE NINTH DAY. 
take them out when you please, a shallow dish will 
be better than a glass jar. A bowl or a more 
shallow dish will answer. Put in some rain-water, 
your young plants and your spawn ; set the dish 
where it will have abundant light, in the window 
of a room where there is no fire. If the sun 6hines 
directly on the dish, shade it with a piece of paper, 
as you do not wish to cook the eggs. If you can 
cover the dish with a pane of glass all the better, 
as it will keep out the dust and check the evapora¬ 
tion of the water. You will need 
Some Kind of a Magnifier. 
You can learn a great deal without, but much more 
with one. The little “ Agriculturist's Simple 
Microscope” will answer admirably, though the 
larger “Compound Microscope” will be better. 
These preparations are made that you may see 
these eggs, with no sign of life, gradually change 
and finally produce a living animal. It is well to 
have an idea of what we expect to see. The 
changes of our common frog’s egg usually take 
Fig. 6.— END OF TnE FOURTEENTH DAY. 
about a month from the time the spawn is laid 
until the living creature leaves it. The time is 
governed by the temperature, and it may vary with 
the different kinds of frogs. You should examine 
the eggs carefully at least daily, and be sure to 
Make a Note of What Yon See. 
The English eggs showed no ebatige until the 
fifth day, when the central dot changed, and showed 
what is called “ cleavage,” as in figure 2. On the 
sixth day the shape was as in figure 3, and on the 
eighth day it appeared like figure 4. The condition 
on the ninth day is given in figure 5, in which both 
the real size of the egg is shown and the same 
magnified four times. Now the parts begin to show 
themselves ; at a are the beginning of the gills, and 
at b the distinct tail. From this time onward 
changes were quite rapid. The 14th day’s appear¬ 
ance is shown in figure 6, of the real size, and en¬ 
larged the same as before; the gills had grown 
very much, the nostril could be seen, and on this- 
day, for the first time, motion was observed; the 
little creature bringing its head and tail together 
with a jerk. On the next day, the 15th, some of 
Fig. 7. —TADPOLES OUT OF THE EGGS (15TH DAY). 
the little tadpoles were out of the egg, lying upon 
and eating some of the remains of the jelly-like 
mass. When the creatures first left the egg they 
were the size of the smaller one in figure 7, the 
other being magnified about three diameters. I 
suppose you all know that the first form of the 
frogs and toads is called a tadpole, and boys often 
call them pollywogs. On the 17th day the tad¬ 
pole’s external gills had increased much, as shown 
Fig. 8.—TADPOLES ON THE SEVENTEENTH DAY. 
in figure 8, where the view is seen looking down 
upon its back of one of real and of enlarged size. 
These gills, very much branched, are only to be 
seen when the tadpole is very young. In a week, 
more or less, according to the weather, these outer 
gills disappear, and then the animal breathes just 
as fishes do, by the aid of another set of gills. 
A Spool Arrow Gnu. 
“ J. W. H.,” Mendocino Go., California, sends a. 
sample of a toy for the benefit of the boys and 
girls. The materials required for this “ gun ” are 
a spool, a piece of India rubber, some strong thread, 
and one or more arrows. 
It is not a difficult mat¬ 
ter for a boy to find an 
empty spool, and most 
families have suitable 
rubber that he can get. 
The strip of rubber is 
tied upon the spool in 
the position shown in 
the engraving. A 
straight piece of wood 
with a heavy blunt head 
makes the arrow. This 
is put through the cen¬ 
ter of the spool, the end 
brought against the 
rubber, and drawn 
back, when it is ready 
to fire. There is not 
much explanation nec¬ 
essary for this toy. From 
what has been said 
any boy will know how 
to make and use this gun. There are many caretui 
persons who object to toy-guns and pistols, and to 
everything that will shoot; even including the bow 
and arrow. But it is the delight of a boy to have 
a toy with some “ go ” in it, and the sooner the 
boy learns all about a toy, the mischief it can do as 
well as the sport they can afford, the better. 
Boys should know that no form of gun is properly 
a house-toy, but should always be played with in 
the open air. In shooting with a toy-gun of any 
kind, have no random firing; always make sure 
that there is no one between the gun and the mark. 
