220 THE OPEN BOOK OF NATURE 
the animal, a young Hydra will bud out of the 
notch. 
' Budding is a common method of reproduction 
of these creatures. Young Hydras may be seen 
budding out of the bodies of their parents, sometimes 
two or more at a time. First a little bud appears 
on the body ; it develops rapidly ; tentacles grow 
on the youngster at great pace, and it is not long 
before the young hopeful is feeding heartily while 
still attached to its parent’s body, and even con- 
tending with the old one for dainty bits. In the 
winter, Hydras produce eggs which grow into perfect 
animals in due course. So, you see, these creatures 
have a wonderful capacity for reproduction. They 
may, in the first place, produce young from eggs ; 
secondly, they give birth to them by budding ; and 
thirdly, if the parents’ bodies are accidentally cut 
into pieces, each piece will become a complete animal. 
These little denizens of the pond remind us of 
the famous Hydra of Greek mythology. That 
monster, you will remember, is said to have ravaged 
the district about Lake Lerna ; it is reputed to have 
had a hundred heads, and if one head was cut 
off two others came in its place. It was the 
renowned Hercules who put the monster out of 
existence. I do not suppose such a creature ever 
existed, but I knowthat humanselfishness is a Hydra- 
headed monster, destructive of peace and goodwill 
among men ; it is a monster difficult to dispose of ; 
like the Hydra of the myth, it has a way of growing 
two heads in place of one that we remove. It is 
only the noble manhood, represented by Hercules, 
that can dispose of it. 
